A Learning Experience
by TheShatteredRose
Summary: Varuna – Night Seeker, amnestic and a toxicologist. All he cares for is his brother, Nitish - Runemaster, psychic and naturopath - and the son of the man who raised them, Isiah - Medic, medical researcher and a real badass. And his work as a researcher for the Count. He soon realises that he would learn more with firsthand experience. First, though, he needs a guild... ::Yaoi::
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** A Learning Experience

**Summary:** Varuna – Night Seeker, amnestic and a toxicologist. All he cares for is his brother, Nitish - Runemaster, psychic and naturopath - and the son of the man who raised them, Isiah - Medic, medical researcher and just plain badass. And his work as a researcher for the Count, of course. His life changes when he realises that he would learn more with firsthand experience. First, though, he needs to find a guild...or maybe one will find him first?

**Pairings:** There will be two official pairings with a tonne of ship-tease. Try to guess the two pairings – if you can!

**Warnings:** Violence, swearing, mentions of death, Yaoi/Shounen-ai/slash/boyxboy/mxm

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything of this franchise; I simply gave the characters names and personalities. I am most certainly not making any profit.

**AN:** Yes, finally! I'm writing an EO4 fic! It probably won't be as long or detailed as "Cease the Suffering". That series took a life of its own. Anyway, this will pretty much follow the story line, yet I will not be re-writing every event. I'll be adding some events of my own and will probably skip some major story events. Anyone who played the game already knows what happens, so there is no point in rewriting everything.

Anyway, enjoy! And let me know what you think!

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Chapter 1:

_A life is a life. Regardless of how they wished to spend it, what they wish to do, everyone has the divine right to live. And that alone is worth protecting._

As those words, so familiar and yet so mysterious to him, resonated in his mind, Varuna found himself abruptly pulled from his sleep by the sound of someone coughing. Sitting up in bed, the silver-haired Night-Seeker immediately recognised the source of the coughing. It was coming from his brother's room.

A sense of concern gnawed at him as he slipped out of his bed and quietly made his way out of his room. He didn't have far to travel to reach his brother's room as it was right next to his.

With the door already open, Varuna wasted no time stepping into the room, immediately noticing that his brother was sitting up in bed with a silver-haired medic offering him some relieving healing to his back and ribs.

Venturing further, he paid little attention to vast volume of full bottles of medicine. "What's wrong?" Varuna immediately asked.

The silver-haired man dressed in a white medic's coat turned to him. He looked at him through one eye as the other was constantly covered by his hair, something that did little to bother him or inconvenience him in any way. He had a small vial of medicine perched between his teeth, which was still full, so it meant he didn't have to use it.

"Nothing serious," Isiah replied as he pulled the vial from his lips and slid it into the pocket of his coat. "Just strain from not getting enough sleep."

Looking at all the full bottles of medicine, Varuna couldn't say he was surprised. He sighed. "You stayed up all night again working, didn't you?" he asked Nitish.

His brother, a Runemaster, looked momentarily uncomfortable as he gave a small shrug. "I lost track of time," he replied softly.

Nitish may look stoic and aloof, with his tall, lanky frame, piercing blue eyes and long blond hair. But the reality was that he was really quiet. He didn't talk much, only speaking with those he was comfortable with. And he was actually younger than he looked.

Well, to be quite honest, neither Varuna nor Nitish knew how old they really were.

Ten years ago Varuna and Nitish were discovered walking around aimlessly, Varuna holding Nitish's hand in his, on the edge of town by Isiah's father. Being a medic, the man took them both in and looked after them. Varuna had a nasty head wound, with blood dripping from his brow over his face, while Nitish had an injury to his left eye.

Even today his vision in his left eye was so much poorer than in his right. It was a minor annoyance to him, but it didn't really affect his quality of life, thank goodness. But he was physically quite fragile. He would get sick quite easily.

Varuna couldn't remember anything before that day. His earliest memory was that of a dark forest, holding Nitish's small hand in his tightly. He didn't remember the pain or the feel of the blood dripping from his forehead. Next thing he remembered, there was a man standing in front of them, a darken figure standing in front of a bright light. Varuna remembered the fear he felt, a small voice in the back of his mind pleading not to let that man hurt him. But as that man, Isiah's father, gently placed a hand on his hair, he felt safe.

Varuna couldn't remember what had happened and Nitish wasn't able to talk, and wouldn't talk for a few years. Thankfully, neither of them were pushed into remembering and were told to simply live for the now.

Isiah's father had passed away a few years ago, unfortunately. He was a kind and gentle man. Old age got in him the end, which was better than losing him to the horrors of the labyrinth.

After the death of his father, Isiah took on the role of caretaker for the two of them. They became a rather unconventional family after that. They might not even be related, but that was of little consequence. To both Varuna and Nitish, they were brothers in every sense. And, in turn, they also considered Isiah to be a brother to them as well.

"Get some rest," Isiah ordered as he placed his hand on Nitish's skinny shoulder, giving a reassuring squeeze. But his tone of voice left no room for argument. "You'll feel better tomorrow."

"I'll take these medicines to the Atelier," Varuna offered as he began to gather up the blue bottles of medicine. "I need to speak with the Count today, anyway."

A few years ago, after the Count issued an invitation to all explorers to learn and reveal the secrets of the Yggdrasil Labyrinth, he, along with Nitish and Isiah, had become researchers to the court, dealing with requests from the Count himself.

"Do you think there is enough?" Nitish asked with a small sense of concern as Varuna gathered all the bottles. He knew far too well how important it was to have enough medicas and nectars on hand.

"Don't worry, I'm sure the Atelier will be more than happy to give you more ingredients to play with," Varuna was quick to reply.

A small smile appeared on Nitish's lips and he nodded his head, seemingly satisfied with that.

After gathering all the medicine bottles, Varuna placed them into a bag and ducked back into his room in order to get dressed. He quickly slipped into his usual clothing with consisted mostly of the clothes that were red and black, which stood out starkly against his pale skin and red eyes. And, out of a habit he had no idea came from, he holstered a pair of hunting knives, hiding them under his clothes. He felt better having them with him whenever he went outside, away from his lodgings.

He pushed his silvery-white hair away from his face and squinted his red eyes at the morning sunlight as he stepped outside. It was unusually bright that morning. Fixing his red cloak around him, he held the bag containing all the medicines against his chest and made his way through the bustling streets of Tharsis. He kept mostly to himself during his walk, his heavy-set boots clacking against the sandstone pathways.

First stop, the Atelier.

"Heya, Varuna!"

Varuna nodded his head at the skinny blonde-haired girl who had yelled at him in greeting, waving a hammer in the air quite merrily. She was quite young, but was already manning the atelier in town. She was a local, a lively one at that. You couldn't help but like her.

"Ooh, didya bring more stuff?" Wynne asked him with a sense of anticipation as he approached the shop.

Varuna nodded again as he lifted the bag he was carrying and presented it to her. Wynne eagerly gathered up the bag, unable to resist taking a peek inside. Seemingly thrilled by what she saw, her smile widened and she turned the hurry back into the shop.

"Hey, boss!" she could be heard yelling. "We've got more medicas!"

There was a bit more yelling back and forth, having a rather normal conversation at the top of their lungs. A few moments later Wynne skipped back out with a bag of money in exchange for the medicas and another bag full of natural ingredients. It's not nearly as much money they would get if Varuna, Nitish and Isiah decided to sell the medicas on their own, but they get free range of the items they get from explorers to make medicines with.

Working for the Count ensured that they never had to go without anything. The Count was a pleasant man, courteous and highly respected. Really, he couldn't have asked to work for a better man.

Besides, the only time Nitish seemed happy, not bothered by the memories of the past, was when he was dealing with making of items. He was a naturopath and he liked to make potions and medicines. And he was so good at it that he was virtually working for the atelier.

"Da boss wants to know how ya make such awesome medicas!" Wynne said as she handed over his reward.

Varuna gave a small smile. It was an on-going joke between his family and the shop. He was never going to tell them that Nitish had the ability to simply tell the quality of an ingredient or item by mediating with the object in his hands. The better quality of ingredient, the better quality of the end product. Simple.

Varuna had a similar ability, but for him, it was poison. Simply looking or touching an object he could tell if it was poisonous or not. Which was he was working for the Count. He was a toxicologist. His skill was quite handy, as there were a few food items that appear benign at first sight, but were actually really quite poisonous.

"Our secret," Varuna said simply in response to Wynne's question. The bright and cheerful expression on her face never faltered as they would have this exchange every time they met, so she wasn't remotely annoyed by his response.

Since the invite of explorers to visit Tharsis and join in the exploration of the Labyrinth and the search for Yggdrasil, the blacksmith had been very busy. Making weapons, armour and accessories was their specialty. But they soon realised that rookie explorers could be quite reckless, so the need of medicines had also increased.

It was a bit of a catch 22, really. They needed ingredients to make medica for explorers, but they needed explorers to find the ingredients to make medica.

"Da boss says come back any time!" Wynne said as a goodbye and Varuna nodded his head once more before turning to leave.

Although he had a lot to deal with the atelier, he had never actually seen the boss in charge. In fact, not many people actually knew what the boss actually looked like. He favoured staying out the back, making weapons and armour in solitude. He preferred to let Wynne deal with the public.

With his errand done, Varuna decided to head home and drop off the small flowers, and maybe check up on Nitsh before visiting the Count. The lodging where he was now living used to be a general medical practice. And it kinda still was, but since Isiah was a medical researcher, he dealt with the most unusual patients, patients that the clinic at the Inn couldn't treat.

Isiah wasn't you average medic. When one thought of the word medic, instantly the image of someone gentle and caring, someone compassionate and empathetic would spring to mind. Isiah, on the other hand was...a bit of a hardass. He was an incredible carer and medic, but he was severely lacking in any bedside manner.

The doors to the lodgings that Varuna was sharing with Nitish and Isiah suddenly flew open with a loud crash. An explorer of some description came tumbling down the stairs, hitting the stone walkway rather hard. But that didn't stop him from immediately scrambling to his feet, a look of pure disgruntlement and distain on his face.

"What the hell?!"

"Get out of here ya dumbass," Isiah stated rather calmly, while also sounding quite forceful. He stopped at the top step and peered down at the explorer through one uncovered eye. "If you want help, go the clinic. That is what it's there for."

Varuna sighed. It was happening again. He couldn't really blame Isiah for being so ill-mannered sometimes. People had this habit of taking complete advantage of a medic. Since their profession was that of caring and healing, other people (be they locals or explorers) would confront Isiah and asked to be healed. Why pay for help at the clinic when you can get a medic to do it for free? And if the medic had the audacity to decline for whatever reason, the ones asking for help would get all obnoxious and abusive.

Like the latest explorer Isiah had just booted out of his place.

"What kind of medic are you?" the explorer simpered. "It's your job, isn't it?"

"My job," Isiah said slowly, his visible eye narrowing quite fiercely. "Is to heal those who need it, not because they think they deserve it. I'm a medical researcher, not a doctor."

"I'm in agony over here!"

"…It's a splinter. You're hardy going to die from it."

"I could! What if I did, huh? It'll be your fault!"

"Then congrats to me. One less dumbass to worry about."

Varuna shook his head as he moved toward his lodgings, purposely brushing past the indignant explorer and up the stairs to Isiah. He shared a look with the silver-haired man, immediately noting the irritation in his gaze. The explorer would be wise to take the hint and leave before Isiah got his mace out. He wasn't afraid to use Knock-out Blow on a human patient.

He has. Numerous times.

Varuna had to admit that he didn't really like people. Oh, sure, some of the locals of Tharsis he knew he could count on, but people in general he didn't like. Maybe it was just crowds. It didn't matter. He, along with Nitish and Isiah tended to keep to themselves. Their research took up most of their time, anyway.

Before the unnamed explorer could shout anymore abuse, Isiah followed Varuna inside, slamming the door shut behind him. He muttered an insult under his breath as he moved to sit at his desk that was covered with study notes and references. Isiah had his own little office, as did Varuna and Nitish, although Nitish did tend to spend most of his time either in the kitchen making new potions, or outside in the garden where he grew herbs and vegetables.

"How's Nitish?" Varuna asked as he carefully placed down the bag of small flowers onto the kitchen counter.

"He was sleeping until that dumbass came barging in," Isiah muttered as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I'll go check up on him," Varuna offered as he handed Isiah the money he had received from the Workshop. Any money he or Nitish made went straight to Isiah. He knew what to do with it and neither Nitish nor Varuna had any desire to possess money.

Slipping into Nitish's room, Varuna felt a slight frown tug at his lips. Nitish seemed to be having a fitful sleep, his brow furrowing as if remembering some kind of pain. Perhaps he was remembering something from long ago…

Thankfully, he quietened down when Varuna placed a hand on his head, soothing down his hair.

Varuna felt a light sense of guilt that he couldn't remember what had happened to them ten years previously. He was certain that Nitish remembered, be it bits and pieces or everything. He felt guilty because he couldn't remember, so he couldn't share his uncertainty and fear.

He spent a few moments simply watching over Nitish, before deciding to let him sleep in peace now.

After quietly leaving the room, he realised that it was time for him to visit the Count to offer him some of his latest research notes. After that, he might pay Ciaran at the cargo wharf a visit. He was a bit of a chatterbox, but at least he didn't ask any prying personal questions. He was only interested in building and fixing airships.

Even with all the new explorers flooding into town, their lodgings were still being whispered to be home to 'those weirdos', as some of the locals had dubbed them.

"I'll be out for a few minutes," Varuna said to Isiah who was sitting at his desk, flipping through a few notes. He received a lazy wave of the hand, indicating that he had been heard.

Once again tugging his cloak around him, Varuna ventured outside and headed toward the Mark's Grand Court. Getting in and out of the court was quite easy, the Count personally meeting and greeting new guilds and explorers.

"Ah, Varuna," Count greeted the moment Varuna stepped into his lush office, stepping over a chew toy and shooing away the little white dog that Count always had with him. "Good to see you again. How's the research going?"

Pulling out his research notes, Varuna handed them over as he stood in front of his desk. "Fortunately, the food found so far in the Windy Plains isn't hazardous to anyone's health at this point. From what Nitish has deduced, the produce is actually beneficial to explorers."

"Ah, that's good to hear!" Count genuinely seemed pleased as he turned his attention to the notes. "How is Nitish today? Not over taxing himself, I hope."

"He, ah, stayed up late last night making medicines, so he'll be resting today," Varuna explained quickly.

"Good, good. It's important that he takes it easy," Count said. "And Isiah?"

"Been busy, I'm afraid. Unfortunately, quite a few explorers have been returning to town complaining of paralyses," Varuna said, remembering Isiah complaining about the influx of patients who were freaking out because they couldn't move. "There doesn't seem to be an item or a type of food that is behind this, so we're uncertain what the source could be."

"Yes, I can see why this would be troubling," Count said as he idly petted Margareta, whom was perched on his lap. "Any ideas of what it could be?"

"A plant that we haven't discovered could be to blame," Varuna stated as he shifted on his feet. "Although, a monster's attack is also highly possible. It's hard to tell, though, from second hand accounts."

Count hummed in thought for a moment, allowing the information to sink in. "Perhaps you require a bit of first-hand experience?" he suddenly suggested, sort off the cuff as he carefully studied the research notes.

Varuna was a little stunned by his suggestion. But it made a lot of sense. The items that they've worked with, the monsters that they knew about, the food that they've studied has all been given to them by the soldiers of Tharsis. They've never had the chance or opportunity to do any field research themselves.

"Thank you for all your hard work," Count said, pulling Varuna from his thoughts. He turned his attention back to the other man to see him smiling at him with a sense of gratitude.

"With this information, Tharsis will be better equipped with the caretaking of explorers," he continued before adding. "I do hope you give my suggestion some thought."

Varuna nodded before taking his leave. "I will."

Leaving the Mark's Grand Court, Varuna found himself wandering around aimlessly. He couldn't stop thinking about the Count's suggestion. Although he was satisfied with the life he was leading now, he couldn't help but feel restless. Maybe it was all the talk about the Lush Woodlands, the still very mysterious labyrinth that was making him antsy. He couldn't help but wonder what types of items and ingredients he could find within the forests and grottoes.

Getting his hands on some new items would make Nitish really happy. Which, in turn, would make him happy.

But…Three researchers heading out into the labyrinth by themselves? Yeah, that's just asking for trouble. How could all three of them search and research the items while also keeping a lookout for potential danger? Not going to work. Ok, so Isiah could be a right badass with a mace, still…

If they had a couple of experienced explorers with them, maybe, but what guild would want three researchers holding them back? These explorers, all they wanted were fame and fortune. Maybe an odd jaunt into the labyrinth with a reward as an incentive, but nothing more than that.

There was no way Varuna was going to trust his life, let alone the lives of his brothers, to a group of strangers.

"Hey!"

Varuna was pulled from his musings by a loud yell. He blinked and looked around, wondering who was yelling and to whom. Explorers suddenly picking fights with rival guilds wasn't a rare thing, unfortunately.

"Yeah, you! The Night-Seeker!"

Again, Varuna blinked and turned toward what he assume was the source of the voice. Gathered in a small group were four male explorers, two Landsknechts and two Snipers. A tall Landsknecht with spiky brown hair and narrowed brown eyes seemed to be at the forefront of the group, his hands on his hips.

In a rather dumbly manner, Varuna pointed to himself, wondering if the Landsknecht was referring to him. There didn't appear to be anyone else around…

"Yeah, you're the one I'm talking to," the brown haired man stated as he boldly strode over to him, followed quickly by a short blond-haired Landsknecht, a red-headed Sniper and a short black-haired Sniper. "We need a fifth person for a quest. Interested?"

"…Eh?!"

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**AN:** Updates will be very irregular and I won't be updating next week as I have to go into hospital for a minor operation. Anyway, let me know what you think of it so far.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:** Thanks so much Guest, notasongfic, ACloudyForecast and Makitachi for reviewing the very first chapter! Appreciate it very much. Hope you'll enjoy reading this chapter as well!

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Chapter 2:

Vast blue sky that seemed endless. Wind blowing through his hair. Fresh, crisp air of high altitude. The Windy Plains was indeed very beautiful. But…

Varuna must have lost his mind.

How else would it explain his current predicament? He was on an airship, a reasonable large one at that, with four complete strangers. And he meant, completely strangers. He had never seen them before in his life. What in the world made him agree to accompany four explorers on a quest to the Lush Woodlands? He had never even been to the Old Forest Mine!

Ok, so the Count suggested some field experience. But really, this was ridiculous! Was he feeling _that_ restless?

"So, anyway," the brown-haired landsknecht said as he lazily rested against the railing of the airship. He scratched his cheek roughly as he glanced at Varuna with some curiosity. "What's your name?"

It was only then that Varuna realised that he didn't even catch their names. When he agreed to join them, stating that he was only interested in natural occurring products there, they practically (and joyfully, may he add) manhandled him onto their airship. He really had lost his mind. How was he going to explain this to Nitish and Isiah when he returned home…? He had better return home.

No, he had to. He wasn't going to leave Nitish behind.

"Varuna," he replied.

"I'm Bryce," the tall man next to him finally introduced himself. He then pointed at the short blond that was at the bow of the airship, leaning precariously over the side of the gondola to get a better view. He was wearing a uniform similar to that of Bryce's, but had short black leggings. If one didn't have the best vision, it wouldn't be hard to mistake him for a girl.

He had better not say that out loud.

"That's Blayden. The squirt is my little brother," Bryce explained before taking a deep breath and yelling at the top of his lungs. "Blayden!"

"What?!" the blond yelled back.

"Stop trying to kill yourself and say 'hi' to Varuna!"

Hearing that, the blond-haired Landsknecht leaned safely back into the ship, perked up and waved rather cheerfully at him. His hair reached his shoulders and was tied back with several beads and ribbons and he had surprising large, bright blue eyes. "Hi!" he shouted in greeting before turning to gaze over the edge once more.

Bryce muttered something under his breath, something along the lines of 'idiot' and 'be careful' before sighing and then pointing at the redhead steering the airship. "The weirdo at the steering wheel is Falkner."

Hearing his name, the red-haired sniper with a slight five o'clock shadow turned and gave Varuna a rather large, crooked grin, as well as a short, two finger salute. "Yo." He then turned back to steering the airship, seemingly humming to himself.

Varuna didn't even have time to make any acknowledgment back before Bryce averted his attention elsewhere. He pointed at the other sniper, a young male with black hair pulled back into a ponytail. He was hanging from the rigging of the airship, seemingly gotten bored during their flight.

"And the monkey swinging by the ropes is Fletcher," Bryce introduced. "He's Falkner's little brother."

Varuna nodded his head. Their names were easier enough to remember. Both snipers' names started with 'F' while the two landsknecht brothers' started with 'B'. Still…there was a chance that he would get their names wrong nonetheless. He had better pay attention.

"Brothers, huh?" Varuna commented dryly as he turned to look at Bryce. "A little family outing?"

"You could say that," Bryce replied as he began to roll his shoulders, stretching his arms over his head, seemingly limberly up in anticipation for the labyrinth. "This quest we're on is apparently easy, so we decided to let the munchkins have some time in the labyrinth."

"Stop calling me a munchkin!" Fletcher suddenly demanded.

Turning toward the source of the voice, a terse retort on his lips, Bryce unexpectedly paused when he realised how far up the rigging Fletcher had climbed during his and Varuna's short conversation. Even Varuna was surprised, and concerned, by how quickly and effortlessly he seemed to move about. He appeared recklessly fearless.

"What are you doing up there, dumbass?!" Bryce yelled rather loudly and angrily, bristling wildly. "Get down from there!"

Fletcher cheekily poked his tongue out at him, staying defiantly high amongst the ropes and rigging. His older brother, Falkner, didn't seem to be remotely worried, though. He glanced over his shoulder, looking up at his little brother and shot him a wide grin.

"Oh, he's fine!" Falkner said in regards to Bryce before turning to give Fletcher a thumbs up. "Great view from up there. Right?"

"You bet!" Fletcher yelled back, grinning broadly and rather childishly swinging back and forth.

"Fine, he's your little brother," Bryce muttered tersely, his eyebrow twitching. "You deal with him."

Varuna remained silent during the whole thing, a little surprised by how carefree the four were. Well, three of the four were. Bryce seemed to be a little hot-headed. Although, he barely knew him, there was something about Bryce that screamed honesty. It was like 'what you see was what you got' type of feeling.

He couldn't help but think back to his own 'family'. Nitish was haunted while Isiah was serious and aloof. Varuna wasn't entirely sure what to do or say around people so…cheerful. He had never been a people's person…from what he could remember, anyway.

"Anyway, we're known as the Phaedrons," Bryce continued. "Means spiritual leader or something."

A small feeling of unease washed over Varuna as he watched Bryce mutter something else under his breath, fold his arms over his chest and lean against the railing of the gondola. "…Why am I here?" Varuna asked.

"It's wise to take five people into the labyrinth," Bryce explained plainly before he shrugged carelessly. "Besides, you looked bored."

Varuna deadpanned at the answer. He was kinda expecting something a little more…detailed. "I _looked_ bored?"

"Yeah, restless," Bryce stated casually as he started to flex his muscles, going back to limbering up.

In all honesty, Varuan didn't know what to make of his answer. He had been feeling some boredom as of late, but he didn't expect a man, a complete stranger, to actually pick up on his restlessness and call him out on it. Was it a lucky guess or was Bryce actually more observant than he appeared?

"Hey!" Bryce suddenly yelled over to Falkner, pulling Varuna from his thoughts. "Are we there yet?"

"Almost!" Falkner shouted in reply as he turned the wheel to the left. "We're coming into view now!"

Intrigued, Varuna ventured to the bow of the airship in order to see the labyrinth as they approached. He had never ventured from the city limits before. Especially not this far. Yet, he wasn't all that afraid. There was a bubble of excitement and anticipation growing in his chest.

Coming to stand next to Blayden, the young blond finally planting his feet firmly onto the gondola's floor, Varuna focused his attention forward. He hadn't realised how beautiful the lands around Tharsis truly were. Lush green vegetation, high mountain peaks, towering stone pillars. He could see small spreads of natural farmlands of native plants and animals.

He wished Nitish was here to see it. He would definitely like the view and the feel of the wind in his hair.

"There it is!" Blayden stated loudly from next to Varuna, pointing at large grove of ancient trees that was situated next to the flowing river. "That's the Lush Woodlands!"

"Prepare yourselves for landing!" Falkner commanded with a slight sense of glee as he unexpectedly turned the airship toward the towering grove of trees, moving to land the airship near the shore of the river.

When the two sets of brothers began to prepare for departing the airship, Varuna realised that there was no turning back. And a part of him didn't really want to, anyway.

With everything he needed already hidden within his cloak, Varuna followed the small guild to the rope ladder that was thrown over the side of the gondola. Bryce, along with the others, only used the rope ladder half way before eagerly jumping the rest of the way to the ground.

Not truly understanding why he was so nimble, Varuna followed suit. He landed on the grass that was quite soft underfoot. Two small streams of water lined a single pathway that led into the Lush Woodlands. While the other members of his 'party' busied themselves with the airship, Varuna looked around at his surroundings. And, to be quite honest, he was surprised by how beautiful everything was.

The air felt tropical and vivid. The air an odd mixture of refreshing and humidity. It just felt pristine and pure, untouched by man. Small flowers and shrubs with vibrant green leaves lined the pathways, leading Varuna to wonder immediately if any of these plants had herbal values. He hadn't seen these plants before.

"This your first time, Varuna?"

Turning to look to his left, Varuna found Blayden looking up at him. He was shorter than he had originally thought, but he was carrying a rather large sword that rested against his side. For some reason, those blue eyes of his reminded him of his brother, Nitish. While Nitish's eyes were now cloudy with a hidden pain, he felt, by looking into Blayden's eyes, that Nitish's eyes were once as wide and innocent.

"It is," Varuna said in regards to his question.

Blayden nodded his head in understanding as he smiled up at him. "It's pretty, huh?"

Varuna could only nod as he turned his attention to his surroundings once more. Indeed, it was beautiful. It also felt somewhat peaceful and serene.

"It can also be pretty terrifying," Bryce suddenly stated, sounding a little disgruntled.

Varuna blinked before he turned to face Bryce, finding the older landsknecht glancing around with a sense of suspicion. It made him feel a little uneasy. "…Did something happen?"

"We got chased by this huge bear!" Blayden informed him before Bryce even had the chance to open his mouth. Varuna immediately turned his attention to the short blond, a little confused as to why Blayden seemed to be so…excited as he explained what happened with a wide grin and eccentric arm movements. "It was following us around, breaking down trees and branches. It was hilarious!"

"Hilarious, my ass!" Bryce snarled, his right eye giving a slight twitch.

"Thinking back on it is hilarious," Blayden countered, keeping that cheekily yet carefree smile on his lips. "Running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Heavily armed explorers and guards running around, shrieking in terror? Come on, it's funny!"

"I wasn't shrieking in terror," Bryce retorted as he folded his arms over his chest in a disgruntled manner.

"You were the loudest of us all!"

"Was not!"

Varuna had to turn away as he coughed into his hand in an attempt to cover up a chuckle. Although it would have been unbelievably terrifying at the time, imagining a group of rugged guards and explorers screaming while running around did sound funny. Varuna just had to hope that it didn't happen again, with him around.

"I'm so glad I wasn't there," Falkner said as he folded his arms behind his head in a casual manner.

"Where were you?" Varuna found himself asking.

Falkner grinned and jabbed his thumb over his shoulder, toward the airship. "Manning the Duscha, of course."

Varuna nodded his head. So, that was the name of their airship. Duscha, huh? …Wait-a-minute. "Who's manning it now?"

"Hey, don't worry; it's moored good and tight," Falkner said in an overly confident manner, even going as far as slapping Varuna on the shoulder in a good-natured way. "It'll be there waiting for us when we're done."

With his carefree attitude, Varuna wasn't sure if he could believe him. Then again, what choice did he have?

"Let's get going."

Well, it was time for him to experience the wonders of the labyrinth first hand. He just hoped that everything would go well.

* * *

**AN:** Short chapter is short, sorry. Next chapter will be longer, promise!


	3. Chapter 3

**AN:** Thanks so much Casting Moonlight, notasongfic and ACloudyForecast for reviewing the previous chapter! This chapter is much longer, so I hope you'll enjoy reading!

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Chapter 3:

Having no interest in map-drawing or scouting, Varuna left Bryce and Falkner to their bickering about which route to take and continued to study his surroundings. Now that he had gotten over his initial awe of the natural surroundings, he was trying his best to name the trees and plant-life around him. But, to be perfectly honest, he had never encountered such exotic plant-life before.

The trees here were so big and tall, far reaching into the sky. They covered most of the blue sky above. And yet, did little to effect the natural lightening. It wasn't as dark as it probably should be under such a canopy.

Straying a little away from the group of explorers, Varuna placed his hand against the trunk of a tree. It was tall, but unlike other trees he knew. The trunk was corky and held a swollen quality to it, as if it was somehow storing water. And the branches, they looked like roots, reaching toward the sky. He couldn't see any flowers, but the leaves were thick and green. It was a shame that he could not reach high enough to snare a sample.

"Whatcha looking at?"

Startled by the voice, Varuna turned his head to look to his right, immediately recognising the short, black-haired sniper standing next to him. Fletcher, wasn't it? He had a rather curious expression on his face, and yet he also had this cheeky quality to him. He must have become bored at the arguing and wandered over to him.

"I was just curious about this tree," Varuna explained as he turned his attention skywards, looking at the high branches. "The leaves are particularly interesting. Unfortunately, I cannot reach them."

"Oh, that should be easy!" Fletcher suddenly stated.

Before Varuna had to chance to question him what he meant, Fletcher lifted his bow and drew an arrow. With his tongue peeking out at the corner of his mouth, he raised his arrow skywards and pulled the bow to full strength. Then, he released an arrow, firing it toward the high branches. The arrow shot through a thin branch that held a few leaves, causing it to tumble harmless to the ground, next to where Varuna was standing.

Varuna blinked.

"There you go!" Fletcher said cheerfully as he lowered his bow.

"T-thank you," Varuna stuttered, both surprised and impressed by what he had just witnessed. "That was impressive."

"Heh, that was nothing," Fletcher said as he rubbed his nose with his index finger.

"Let's go, you two!" Bryce suddenly called out.

Varuna scooped the fallen branch off the ground and placed it into his bag, dutifully moving to follow the others. He didn't want to get left behind or become lost. The Lush Woodlands was notoriously vast and dangerous.

"So, this quest of yours," Varuna asked as he caught up to Bryce, who seemed to be the leader of this small group. "What is it about?"

"Nothing important," Bryce replied, shrugging casually. "Just need to find some strong smell herb or something. Dalla wants it for cooking."

The mentioning of an herb piqued Varuna's interest. "What kind of herb?"

"What was it?" Bryce muttered, more so to himself as he plunged his hand into the pocket of his pants and pulled out a scrap of paper that was wrinkled and creased. "Right, a culantro."

"A culantro or cilantro?"

"Eh?" Bryce muttered and turned to look at him with a slightly…baffled and annoyed expression on his face. "What's the difference?"

Varuna tried not to become annoyed himself. But it was difficult. He couldn't help but feel a small sense of irritation when people did not understand the medical quality of herbs, plants, flowers and food around them. It was irrational for him to feel that way, but he just couldn't help it.

"There's a huge difference," he retorted. "Besides the obvious spelling, culantro has long, serrated leaves with blue flowers while cilantro has-"

"Stop," Bryce interrupted him swiftly, even going as far as to lift his hand in front of Varuna's face. Varuna immediately shut up, even pausing in his steps as he blinked in surprise.

"I don't care what cilantro is," Bryce continued, a slight scowl on his face. "We're looking for the one with the letter 'u' in the name. Don't confuse me."

Varuna found himself blinking again as Bryce shoved the scrap of paper back into his pocket and started walking again, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings. He still had a slight scowl on his face, but maybe that was just his usual expression. He was an oddly expressive person. In fact, so were the others. They didn't seem to be hiding anything behind their eyes or expression. They felt…sincere.

"Hey, Varuna!"

Varuna jumped slightly when he was pulled from his musings by someone calling his name. He jittery turned around to see that Blayden was the one trying to get his attention. "Hm? Ah, yes?"

"Do you have a brother, Varuna?" Blayden unexpected asked him, his blue eyes bright and full of curiosity.

Although the question was sudden, Varuna did not see the harm in answering. "I do, actually."

"Really?" Blayden said, his expression brightening as if he was excited by the prospect. "What's he like?"

Varuna wasn't sure where to begin or whether he should actually answer that. Outwardly, Nitish was guarded, aloof even, his piercing blue eyes quite intimidating. But the reality was he was simply quiet. He hated loud noises and crowds, preferring plants to people. He wasn't shy or skittish, he was just…quiet.

With Blayden looking at him expectantly, Varuna knew that he had to answer his question. So, he petted the short blond on the head. "…Taller than you," he commented.

Blayden immediately pouted childishly. "Hey!"

Bryce must have heard the comment as he let lose a loud laugh. Varuna glanced over his shoulder in time to see Bryce turn around to look at them, a surprisingly carefree smile on his face. Just minutes ago he was scowling and frowning.

"Everyone is taller than you, Munchkin," Bryce commented.

Blayden flipped off his brother, earning himself another loud laugh in response before turning back to Varuna, looking up at him again with those blue eyes. "No, seriously, what's he like? What does he do?" His curiosity seemed to know no bounds.

"…He's a Runemaster," Varuna finally answered, hoping that would be enough for now. It didn't feel right to talk about his brother behind his back. He was full of praise for his brother, but Nitish didn't like gaining attention.

"Really!?" Surprisingly, Blayden seemed to be interested and excited to hear about a Runemaster. "That's awesome."

Varuna had to smile. Nitish's abilities were unique, that was for sure. Although, Nitish usually only used his elemental abilities while making new medicines. Freezing them, heating them, shocking them; that sort of thing. A single item could be use multiple ways if the methods were different. He had never used his abilities in battle before.

"Hey, what's this?"

Varuna turned to see Fletcher kneel onto the ground and reached out to pick something up. His gaze flickered toward what he was reaching for and he immediately felt a cold shiver race down his spine. It wasn't a shiver from the cold; it was his body's warning signal. There was something toxic nearby.

"Wait, don't touch that!" Varuna called out as he lurched forward, able to snare Fletcher's wrist in his hand, preventing him from picking up the object.

"Eh? Why not?" Fletcher asked him, a look of blatant surprise on his face.

"It's poisonous," Varuna stated as he released his hold on Fletcher's wrist, assured that he won't touch the object and accidentally hurt himself. He knelt onto the grass and studied the item, noting immediately that while it was indeed natural, it was out of place in its current setting. That meant it didn't belong here. Someone or something must have dropped it.

"Really?" Falkner was the one to ask as he came over, stopping by his brother's side to have a look at the object. He, too, studied it for a moment, his brow furrowing slightly. "It looks like it might have been from a monster."

"Yes. It's quite toxic," Varuna said as he pulled out a knife from his cloak and stabbed it into the sharp-pointed object. He lifted it up carefully, noting its reddish-yellow appearance and the venom that was oozing from the tip. The longer he studied it, the more he realised that while it wasn't exactly poison, it was still harmful to the human body.

"Hmm, it has a more of a paralysing quality to it, actually," he muttered more to himself than anyone else. "What is it doing here? Looks like the tip of a scorpion's tail…"

Ah, maybe a monster was responsible for the spate of explorers complaining of paralysis?

"Do you think there are monstrous scorpions here?"

Varuna turned to the person who asked that and a drop of sweat slipped down the side of his face when he realised that Blayden seemed to be looking at him with a strange expression on his face. "…Why do you look excited?" Varuna asked.

However, before Blayden could reply or anyone else answered for him, there was a rustling of bushes behind them. Immediately, everyone was on alert, their hands moving to toward their weapons. They only hesitated to draw them as they could not lay eyes on what was causing all that noise. It could be a monster, but it could also be a guard or some hapless explorer who had gotten lost.

A few tense seconds passed before a strange little creature tumbled out of the thick foliage. It had a root like quality to it, yet it had two small, dark eyes and a thin, yet wide mouth. Several leaves were at the top of its head and it danced on two flimsy little legs. And when it turned around to face them, its 'arms' were long and vine-like, which quickly started whipping around in an aggressive manner.

"Well, that's interesting," Falkner commented as he retrieved his bow, a half-smile appearing on his lips as he set an arrow. "It's a mandrake."

"What the hell is a mandrake doing on this floor?" Bryce asked, that scowl of his reappearing on his face. "Aren't they found on the second?"

Varuna was surprised by the appearance of the little creature. "That's a mandrake?" he uttered, feeling a little bit confused. "It's actually alive."

Bryce unsheathed his sword, cutting it through the air in front of him in an offensive manner. "Then let's kill it," he stated before charging forth, Blayden eagerly moving with him while Falkner and Fletcher stayed further back, firing off arrows.

Despite being a monster of one, it was small, quick and surprisingly painful. When it dodged one of Bryce's attacks, Varuna thought of an idea. The knife he used to pick up that toxic object had venom on it. If he managed to strike out at the mandrake, he should be able to paralyse it.

Narrowing his eyes, Varuna waited for the best opening. He only had one knife, so that meant he only had one chance. Suddenly, Varuna's focus tightened, his senses reaching high alert. The movements of the mandrake became somewhat predictable. He knew what it was going to do…

…_Nerve throw_…

The next thing Varuna knew, the knife was no longer in his hand, but imbedded deep within the face of the mandrake. Its movement quickly became sluggish, yet it was twitching as it if was suffering from seizures. No, it was paralysed.

"Get the bastard now!" Bryce suddenly ordered.

Varuna took a couple of steps backwards and shook his head, feeling somewhat confused and bewildered. What happened? He didn't remember throwing the knife.

"Nice shot, Varuna!" Blayden complimented him wilfully.

"That got the bastard," Bryce added as he sheathed his sword and walked over to Varuna, slapping him on the shoulder in a sign of gratitude. "Good job."

Varuna was literally snapped from his confused musings by Bryce and he shook his head to clear it. Instead, he turned his attention to the slaughtered plant-like monster and walked over to it to carefully study it. They called it a mandrake, but…

"This doesn't look like the mandrakes I know of," Varuna murmured as he leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees.

"What do you mean?" Blayden asked as he moved to stand next to Varuna, his sword still in his hand.

"There is actually a plant called mandrake," Varuna explained. In fact, there was one growing in the garden back at home. Just the one plant, though, as it was also rather poisonous if used incorrectly. "You can use its roots for medicinal purposes."

"Do you think a root from this little bastard could be more potent?" Bryce was the one to comment, surprising Varuna a little.

"Because it's alive?" Varuna contemplated that. "That would make sense since it has living energy. But…how can that be? There's no blood?"

"Plants don't have blood," Blayden stated firmly, nodding his head sagely. "They have sap."

"…Right." Varuna deadpanned at that. He was right, after all. But, well, when one thought of life, as in moving around with eyes, legs and arms, then they needed blood as well as inner organs to survive.

Blayden abruptly lifted his sword and gave Varuna a questioning look. "Can I carve it up now?"

"Go ahead," Varuna said as he reached forward to retrieve his knife before he pushed himself to stand at his full height again. "Just leave some of the roots for me."

"Sure!"

Varuna decided to leave the short blond to his fun, still somewhat bewildered by the monster. Plants were alive, no one could dispute that. He just never imagined a monster plant. What a truly interesting find. And maybe Bryce was right in saying that its roots would be more potent.

"You're interested in herbology?" Bryce suddenly asked him, pulling him out of his musings once more.

"In a way," Varuna answered and gave a slightly skittish one shoulder shrug. "My brother is a naturopath. You know natural remedies and homeopathy. That sort of thing. I'm gathering these items for him to inspect."

Resting his arm casually on the hilt of his sword, Bryce arched an eyebrow at him. "So you make your own medicine?"

"That's right," Varuna nodded, feeling a small sense of joy that someone was asking about his passion. He didn't like to talk about himself (there wasn't much he could say, anyway) but he had no trouble talking about his hobby and that of his brother's crafting skills. "My brother is a master at making medica."

A slight look of interest flickered across Bryce's face. "The ones we buy from Berund Atelier?"

Again, Varuna nodded. "That's right."

"That's actually kinda cool," Bryce unexpectedly said, a half-smile appearing on his lips as he scratched the back of his neck. "Helped us out many times."

"He'll be happy to hear that," Varuna commented, feeling undeniably happy about hearing that as well.

"What about you, though?" Bryce suddenly asked. "You seem to know a lot about toxins and poisons."

"…I'm a toxicologist," Varuna reluctantly confessed.

Bryce seemed momentarily confused. "A what?"

"A toxicologist," Varuna reiterated before explaining further. "I study poisons and poisonous items such as plants and natural materials. It's so I can assess what kind of impact the different types of poison has on the human body and find the cure for it. I'm a researcher who works for the Count."

"Really?" Bryce seemed surprised and also a little bit intrigued. "But you said this is your first time here."

"It is," Varuna answered as he shifted on his feet in a fidgeting manner. "I've never travelled to the labyrinth before. I usually get the items handed to me and asked to research them. The Count has made the suggestion of possible field training, as it were. It makes sense, I suppose. Adventurers don't know what to look for. I do."

He was actually surprised by how much he was revealing to a person he barely knew.

"Varuna, here, is this enough?"

Varuna turned toward Blayden, interested to see if he had indeed left a couple of roots for him to take back to Nitish. He paused, however, when he looked at what Blayden was offering him. And, well…He almost felt sorry for the poor thing. It was completely mangled.

"Er…T-that's plenty," he managed to say.

"Come on, let's get going," Bryce commanded.

Grabbing the remains of the mandrake, Varuna shoved it into his bag as he began to move along with the others. He was happy to retrieve a couple of new items for Nitish to work with. And he was actually interested to see if the mandrake roots were indeed more powerful than the plant they had at home.

Moving along the winding, but surprisingly easy to navigate pathways, Varuna continued to study the plants and leaves around him. The four with him, although still complete strangers to him, were seemingly experienced on this level. They had been here before, so had some idea on what to do and where to go.

They walked silently, encountering a grasseater or two along the way. Varuna had no interest in them, though. Grasseater legs weren't good for anything, in his opinion. The gritty scales from the woodflies might be interesting, though.

Still, despite the nuances of battles, he managed to pick up a few Small Flowers and had plucked the currently unknown yellow flowers that lined their paths as they walked. They didn't seem to be getting anything near to the strong smelling culantro they had been asked to retrieve, though.

And as they turned a corner they found their path blocked. Large branches, with evidence of honey smeared across them, fell over an entrance way, making it near impossible to pass.

"I thought we got rid of these," Bryce complained as he roughly scratched the back of his neck. "This is going to be difficult."

"Do you think we can break them down ourselves?" Blayden asked, looking a little dejected.

"How did these branches get here?" Varuna murmured as he held his chin in thought. "Doesn't look natural."

The small group lapsed into silence, trying to think of the best way around the problem.

"…Why don't we get that thing to break them down?"

His brow furrowing in confusion, Bryce turned around to look at Falkner. "What thing-?" he began to ask, but a loud roar interrupted him. His eyes immediately became wide and he looked over Falkner's shoulder.

Varuna, too, looked over and he could have sworn his heart stopped. A bear, a large brown one with long, serrated claws reared up onto two legs as it threw its head back, giving another almighty roar. W-was that the bear Blayden mentioned had chased them around previously?

"Dumbass!" Bryce suddenly yelled, fear with an edge of anger in his voice. "Why didn't you tell us there was a cutter behind us?!"

"I just did," Falkner retorted plainly, and a little bit too casually.

"Run!"

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**AN:** This chapter was fun to write, yet auto-correct in my Word program was kinda annoying. Every time I wrote culantro it would automatically be 'corrected' as cilantro! It was like; "No, dumbass, I mean culantro!"


	4. Chapter 4

**AN:** I AM SO UNBELIEVABLY HAPPY ABOUT THE EO2 REMAKE! I don't care much for the story; I just hope that there will be a classic option. That's all I care about!

Also, thanks so much notasongfic and ACloudyForecast for reviewing the previous chapter. Hope you'll enjoy reading!

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Chapter 4:

When Varuna got up that morning, he had no idea that his day would lead him to agreeing to accompany a small group of complete strangers on a quest in the Lust Woodlands. And he most certainly didn't expect to be literally running for his life from a giant bear!

And yet, he was. He was deep within the first floor of the Lush Woodlands, a bag slung across his back and simply running. He had no clue where he was or where he was going. He was simply following the one in front of him.

Funnily enough…he didn't feel that frightened. Maybe it was the adrenaline or maybe it was because he didn't have the time to feel any fear. Fear was a nuance. It would only get in the way. He had an objective – run. Ensure that the beast behind him did not catch him.

"Damn it!" Bryce cursed as he glanced over his shoulder, still keeping a fast pace. He was near the back of the group, making sure that his brother, along with the two snipers, were in front of him and in relatively safety. "Are there any short cuts around here?!"

"Not for another few paths!" Falkner called back. He was at the front of the group, successfully leading them through the maze of corridors.

Turning a corner, something suddenly snared Varuna's ankle and the next thing he knew, he was laying on the ground, feeling dazed and winded. He didn't remember tripping and falling.

"Varuna!"

Still in a light haze of confusion, Varuna looked up in time to see Bryce purposely position himself between him and the bear. His sword was held in front of him in a both defensive and offensive manner. Varuna could see the tension in his back and shoulders as he stood firm.

But…the bear was too strong. Raising a massive paw, the bear struck out at Bryce, a serrated claw piercing through Bryce's armour and quite literally throwing him off to the side. Bryce hit the ground hard, skidding across the grass before he came to a stop at the base of a tree.

And he didn't move.

"Bryce!"

Immediately, Blayden forgot about his own safety as he scrambled to Bryce's side, his hands touching his brother as he desperately tried to shake him into alertness. "Bryce! Wake up! Come on!"

Seeing Bryce lying on the ground, a pool of blood steadily growing from his side and the bear inching closer, Varuna's world suddenly became quite narrow and dull. The sounds of the beast's roars and cries were muted. He could sense the monster coming up behind him, its beady red-black eyes looking at him with animalistic malice.

"Bryce, please!"

But he wasn't scared. The bear was a threat. It needed to be subdued.

Varuna had never been in battle before. And yet, his body reacted; dodging at the last second as the bear lunged for him, he pushed himself up with his arms before skidding across the grass and resting on the balls of his feet. He wrapped his cloak around him in a defensive manner as his hand pulled out a slick silver knife. Now situated behind the brown-furred bear, he threw his knife without making a single noise, hitting the beast in the tail bone.

…_Sleep Throw_…

The cutter roared loudly and reared back, before becoming somewhat woozy. Then, it tilted to the side before crashing to the grassy ground. Its breath unexpectedly deepened and made a noise that sounded like a…snore?

Still running on adrenaline, Varuna jumped up and pulled his blade from the monster's hide, and then stumbled backwards. Slipping the knife back under his cloak in its usual spot, he quickly ran around the slumbering beast, slipping on the grass as he knelt next to Blayden, who was still trying to wake his brother up.

Varuna placed his hands on Bryce, using all his might to roll the landsknecht onto his back. He quickly checked his pulse and listening for breathing. Thanks to living with a medic, especially one as talented and straightforward as Isiah, Varuna knew what signs were good and what were bad in a person needing healing.

Bryce was breathing, his pulse fast but staying in rhythm. Those were good signs. Him being unconscious and unresponsive, however, was not.

"Did you kill it?" Blayden asked him as he looked up at him with his big blue eyes, his voice trembling just a little.

"I-it's not dead," Varuna answered as he glanced in the direction of the slumbering beast. He was a little surprised that it was indeed sleeping, but, whatever. It was a good thing that it was asleep. Who cares of the hows and whys at this point?

"Just sleeping," Varuna continued as he turned back to Blayden. "Let's get out of here before it wakes up. I don't think it's a morning person."

"We need to get out of here," Falkner stated, his carefree attitude rightfully replaced by a serious look of determination. "There's a short cut ahead. This way."

Pulling Bryce into a sitting position, Varuna flung one of Bryce's arms around his neck and shoulders as he slipped his own arm around his waist. Blayden aided him as he staggered to his feet. Varuna wasn't all that strong, especially compared to a landsknecht and Isiah, but he had to drag Bryce's battered body out of these woodlands.

"Where's Fletcher?" Varuna asked as he struggled to hold onto Bryce, Blayden doing his best to help.

"Over here!" A familiar voice thankfully replied.

Looking toward the sound of the voice, Varuna breathed a small sigh of relief to see the black-haired sniper suddenly appear from the thick shrubbery, waving an arm frantically in the air.

"This way! There's a short cut. It should lead us toward the entrance!"

Readjusting his grip on Bryce, Varuna furrowed his brow in determination as he moved to where Fletcher and Falkner were leading them. The two snipers were on guard, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings. The last thing they needed was to be ambushed again.

When the large sail of Duscha loomed over them, Varuna never felt such relief. They were a step closer to safety. All they had to do was get Bryce on board. But…that might be easier said than done.

"I don't think I can…" Varuna murmured as he eyed the rope ladder warily and wearily. Dragging Bryce's unconscious body on the ground was draining enough. He wouldn't be able to lift him onto the gondola.

"Here, take this," Falkner said as he threw a bag of something toward Varuna and moved toward Bryce. Without a word, he leaned forward and practically threw Bryce over his shoulder. "I'll take Bryce. Fletcher, untie the mooring. Blayden, jump on board and find the first aid kit."

The two little brothers of the group immediately scrambled to do what they were told.

Slinging the bag that Falkner had thrown to him over his shoulder, Varuna followed the redhead up the rope ladder, ensuring that Falkner wouldn't drop Bryce, hence making his condition worse. When they reached the gondola, Falkner huffed as he placed Bryce's still unconscious form against the side of the airship before immediately dashing for the steering wheel.

He paused for just a moment to wait for Fletcher and Blayden to reappear. He thankfully didn't have to wait long. Fletcher came swinging in on some rigging rope while Blayden burst through the door that led below deck.

"Hang on!" Falkner called out as the airship began to move.

Dropping the bags he was carrying onto the floor, Varuna knelt next to Bryce and carefully moved him into a more comfortable position as Blayden fumbled through the first aid kit. It was only when he cushioned Bryce's head with his knees did Varuna suddenly realise what had happened. Bryce had purposely placed himself between him and that bear. He had willingly protected him.

B-but why? Why would he risk his life like that? For him? A complete stranger!

A soft, low groan pulled Varuna from his thoughts and he immediately turned his attention to Bryce, finding the brown-haired landsknecht furrowing his brow in pain. A moment later, his eyes flickered open and he immediately tried to sit up.

"…The hell?" he murmured.

"H-hey, don't try to move," Varuna ordered as he took Bryce by the shoulders and pushed him back down.

But Bryce continued to struggle. "Is everyone alright?" he asked, his concern for everyone else quite blatant and overwhelming.

"Everyone is fine. We're heading back to Tharsis," Varuna answered, immediately feeling the tension in Bryce's form dissipate and he sunk back down. He seemed to be relieved by that, realising that he was indeed on the Duscha.

Grabbing some thick wadding from Blayden, Varuna pressed it against Bryce's side, earning a small hiss of pain from the man. He wasn't bleeding as much now, which meant the blood had clotted. He was still bleeding, though. They needed to get back to Tharsis quickly.

"Why did you do that?" Varuna asked softly.

Bryce furrowed his brow as he peered up at him through one eye. "Do what?" he grunted.

Varuna added a little bit more pressure against his side. "Protect me? We're complete strangers."

"As if I'd let someone get hurt on my watch," Bryce hissed as he squeezed his eyes shut. "Strangers or not."

Varuna felt a sense of guilt touch him. If he hadn't somehow tripped, Bryce would not have gotten hurt. But he also felt a small sense of surprise. To Varuna, family was all that mattered. Nitish and Isiah was all that he cared for. Would he have willingly put himself in danger to save a complete stranger?

As terrible as it sounded, probably not. He would not and could not leave Nitish and Isiah behind. Especially Nitish.

Blayden shuffled to Bryce's side, looking down at his brother. While the young blond was not crying, his eyes were red and moist. He was afraid. No surprise, really, after what he had just witnessed. "Bryce?"

Bryce rolled his head to the side and opened his eyes. He managed to pull a forced smile onto his lips and he raised a hand toward his brother. "Don't look at me like that, Squirt," he murmured as he placed his hand on top of Blayden's head. "I'm fine."

Blayden didn't look at all convinced, but nodded his head anyway and swallowed thickly. "…Ok."

The trip back to Tharsis seemed to take a lot longer than it took to arrive at the Lush Woodlands. Pulling the Duscha into a semi-rough landing, Falkner and Fletcher immediately sprang into action. They set about mooring the airship, ensuring that it would not cause any damage to the cargo wharf.

"Hey!" a familiar voice suddenly yelled. "Careful! This ain't a race track!"

A moment later a familiar red-haired young man had somehow scrambled onto the gondola, probably more than ready to give a lecture or two on how to look after his airships. But when Ciaran's gaze collided with Varuna's, the wharf master was momentarily stunned.

"Eh? Varuna?"

"Sorry," Varuna immediately said. "It's an emergency."

"Whoa," Ciaran murmured as he stepped onto the floor of the gondola, his sight finally falling onto Bryce's prone form. "What happened to him?"

"Cutter," Falkner replied quickly. "Can you watch the Duscha for us?"

"Hm, sure," Ciaran replied easily, moving to step back so that he wouldn't get in the way. He continued to look at Varuna with an expression of surprise, though. He was no doubt wondering why Varuna was on this airship.

Varuna would have to explain later. There were more important things to deal with at the moment.

"He's losing quite a bit of blood…" Varuna murmured as he chewed on his bottom lip as he helped pull Bryce to his feet, the brown-haired landsknecht unnervingly silent.

"Should we take him to the clinic or ask for someone to come get him?" Blayden questioned, still looking rather pale and unsteady himself.

"I know a medic," Varuna stated. He didn't know the healers at the clinic, but he knew Isiah. And he trusted him. Besides his lack of bedside manners, he was a really talented healer. "He'll be closer."

Falkner slung Bryce's arm over his shoulder and wrapped an arm around his waist. "Here. You lead the way."

Varuna nodded. "This way."

Usually, when Varuna walked through the city streets, he kept to the back alleyways and shadows as he didn't want to draw attention to himself. But this time, he needed to take the direct route. Bryce had waited long enough for the healing he so desperately needed.

Racing through the streets, peering over his shoulder every now and again to ensure that he was being followed, Varuna did his best to ignore the startled locals and their whispering. He was so relieved to see the three storied building of his residence come into view. He paused out the front, allowing his four travelling companions to catch up before he burst through the doors.

"Isiah!"

"Varuna?" Isiah's voice immediately echoed through the house, with a very light sense of confusion. A moment later, the dark grey-haired medic appeared from his office, looking slightly haggard. "Where have you…?"

Isiah's question trailed off when his eyes flickered to look behind Varuna, immediately spying Bryce's resting heavily against Falkner, the wadding against his side a deep red. While Isiah's face changed very little, a flicker of surprise and concern appeared in his gaze.

"Can you help him?" Varuna asked him in a pleading tone as he helped move Bryce further into the room.

Isiah quickly snapped out of his shock. "What happened?" he asked as he strode confidentially forward, his gaze critical and searching.

"It's my fault," Varuna murmured and felt an immediate prang of guilt. "You have to help him."

"I'm fine," Bryce muttered. "It's just a scratch."

However, he was still very pale and unsteady on his feet, so his protest did little to alleviate everyone's concern.

"You're bleeding all over the place," Varuna retorted.

"Put him over there," Isiah ordered and pointed to a small examination room that held a single bed in the corner.

With his grip still around Bryce, Falkner staggered toward the room, where Varuna, Blayden and Fletcher immediately followed. Bryce, however, didn't seem to care too much for the concern or attention. He continued to gripe and protest, but it fell on deaf ears. Anyone could see that he needed medical help. So why bother to protest? Maybe he didn't want to be seen as weak, or maybe he didn't want his little brother to worry any more than he already had?

Whatever the reason, Isiah didn't care for it. "It would be of your best interest if you don't struggle," he said, his tone low and steady, but held a frightening edge to it nonetheless.

"Was that a threat?" Bryce questioned with a slightly apprehensive look on his face. No doubt that he saw the heavy metal mace that Isiah liked to keep hanging on the wall in the examination room. For, you know, when patients got difficult.

"You bet."

Bryce wasn't entirely sure if Isiah would actually take to him with a mace, but he relented anyway. A bit of a surprise, really. "…Ok."

"Good," Isiah murmured as he set about getting ready to examine and then treat Bryce. But before that, he turned to regard the others in the room. "Everyone, out. I need to work alone."

Varuna immediately understood why. The wound bled quite a bit, which meant that there was a chance that it was deeper and more damaging than first feared. He didn't want anyone to panic and assume the worst. Dealing with hysterical people was not one of Isiah's specialties.

"Come, Blayden," Varuna said as he turned to the short blond, only to find him hesitant to leave his brother's side.

"I told you I'm fine, Squirt," Bryce said as he lay down on the bed, a look of defiance on his face. "This is just a precaution."

"Ok," Blayden finally relented and moved to follow Fletcher and Falkner as they moved to step outside as well.

But he paused next to Varuna and Varuna was a little surprised when Blayden took his hand in his. He, however, squeezed back reassuringly nonetheless as he led him out of the room. The little blond needed comfort. The way he was acting…it reminded Varuna of an image from long ago.

Blue eyes; sad and afraid.

They were…painful to look at. He never wanted to see such fear again.

* * *

**AN:** Let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

**AN:** Thanks so much notasongfic, CreepyNick1 and ACloudyForecast for reviewing the previous chapter!

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Chapter 5:

Varuna had always been a rather patient person. He had never been in a hurry to go anywhere. For the last ten years, he had been milling about, doing his own thing at his own pace. But right now, as he sat with a short blond-haired landsknecht outside of an occupied examination room, he was feeling uncharacteristically edgy.

To be completely truthful, he had been acting out of character a lot today.

Agreeing to help a group of strangers on a quest, accompanying them on their airship and entering the Lush Woodlands? Yep, not something he did every day.

Turning his attention to the blond next to him, Varuna felt his heart tightened. Blayden had his knees pulled up to his chest, his arms wrapped around his legs. His youthful features were darkened with mature concern and fear. His large blue eyes stared unblinkingly at a spot on the floor in front of him.

When Varuna first met Blayden, he seemed jovial and carefree, maybe a little bit too much. He was excitable, happy to be out exploring the Lush Woodlands. But now he seemed to a little too quiet. What happened today really scared him. It must have been his first real encounter with a dangerous FOE.

Even so…Varuna hoped that what had happened would not put him off continuing his explorations.

Needing something to do, Blayden's other two teammates, had wandered from the premises. Falkner had snared his own brother and headed back to the Duscha to ensure everything was alright and to retrieve their belongings. And to probably explain to Ciaran their hasty landing.

So Varuna was left with Blayden, Bryce's younger brother, to wait for news on Bryce's condition. He was pretty sure that Bryce would be alright. He was up and about, talking and complaining. And Isiah hadn't kicked open the door to demand more potions or tonics. So, all signs were good so far.

Not a moment after he entertained those thoughts, the door opened and Isiah stepped out, still looking haggard, but not at all ruffled. Once again he had a vial of medicine perched between his teeth, and like earlier, it was full, so he didn't need to use it.

Hearing the door opening caused Blayden to set up straight in attention, looking up at Isiah with a silently hopeful and expectant expression.

"How is he?" Varuna asked as he pushed himself to his feet.

Isiah removed the vial clenched between his teeth and slipped it into a pocket of his white medic's coat. "He's lost a bit of blood, but after rest, he'll be fine," he explained plainly.

Isiah had always been rather blunt with his doctorial inspections. If he said someone was going to be fine, than that person was indeed going to be fine. He never sugar-coated anything. He didn't see the point.

"That's good," Varuna replied, feeling the tension he had unconsciously been holding drain from his shoulders.

Blayden scrambled out of his seat and took to his feet. He stood in front of Isiah and looked up at him with pleading eyes. "Can I go see him?"

Isiah blinked before stepped aside, allowing him to enter. "Go ahead."

"Thank you!" Blayden said before he scurried into the room.

"He's the little brother," Varuna explained.

"Ah," Isiah uttered in understanding. He then made a motion with his hand, silently telling Varuna to follow him.

And Varuna did. He dutifully followed Isiah into his office a couple of doors down. He wasn't really looking forward to explaining what happened. He just hoped Isiah wouldn't ask him 'why' he agreed to accompany the Phaedron Guild on a mission. He couldn't answer that. He didn't even know himself.

"So, what happened?" Isiah asked as he sat down in his chair, crossed his legs and gave Varuna his full attention.

On the other side of Isiah's desk, Varuna continued to stand as he began to explain the day's events. He started with explaining about the bear attack, which was the most important detail, and he worked his way back from there. Not the most conventional way to explain things.

"Wait, wait," Isiah interrupted him, holding his hand up for him to become silent for a moment. He uncrossed his legs and leaned forward in his seat, a very slight expression of disbelief on his face. "Let me get this straight. You went into the Lush Woodlands?"

Varuna shuffled on his feet, feeling a little fidgety. "Well…yeah."

Isiah continued to gaze at him silently, as if studying him. He, however, unexpectedly sighed and lean back into his seat. "…Well, I can't say I'm surprised," he went on to say. "You've been restless lately."

"…It was the Count's idea," Varuna murmured. "Needed firsthand experience or something."

"Don't explain yourself," Isiah said as he waved his dismissively. "I always thought you would one day want to visit the labyrinths. You enjoyed yourself out there, didn't you?"

Varuna's fidgeting intensified as he remembered the beautiful setting and the fresh air of the Lush Woodlands. Despite the danger and fear, it really was an incredible experience. It just felt so calming, and yet utterly thrilling at the same time.

"I did, actually," he confessed before feeling the surprising need to explain why. "There were so many natural ingredients and items that we could use to make items and potions. Not just medicas, but other things. And…it's really quite beautiful. Nitish would like it."

Nitish really would like the Lush Woodlands. He knew more about plants and trees and flowers than Varuna did. He would be thrilled to see all the potential herbal ingredients he could use to make medicines.

"But…"

Isiah quirked an eyebrow at him in question. "But?" he prompted him to continue.

"It's dangerous as well," Varuna said, his shoulders sagging a little, taking a moment to glance over his shoulder in the direction of the examination room that was occupied. "What happened today was…thrilling, I have to admit. But I would never put Nitish in danger. And I'll never leave him behind."

"I see…Hm," Isiah murmured, a look of contemplation appearing on his face.

"Where's Nitish?" Varuna asked, a little concerned that his brother didn't come wandering out to see what all the noise was about. After all, it wasn't every day Varuna would burst through the doors of their abode and ask Isiah to heal someone.

"Out back in the garden," Isiah answered. "He said he had a terrible dream of you in danger, so I sent him out there to relax."

Varuna barely managed to hide a wince. "A dream?" He hoped that he didn't 'dream' about what had happened.

While Nitish didn't like to be called 'psychic', he did intense magical abilities that often left him floundering and others around him bewildered. Other Runemasters honed in their skills through extreme training and discipline. Nitish never did any of that. It was almost as if he was afraid of his own power.

"You better change first," Isiah suddenly told him. "Don't want him to see that blood, do you?"

"Blood?" Varuna looked down at himself and at his hands, and immediately grimaced. Yeah, he was covered in blood. Bryce's blood. He shouldn't be surprised as he had to practically carry Bryce out of the labyrinth. "Right."

Pulling his cloak tightly around him to hide the smears and stains of dried blood, Varuna hurried from Isiah's office and made his way toward the bathroom upstairs to scrub the blood from his hands before moving to his bedroom. He removed his knives from his possession first before ridding himself of his dirtied clothes, dropping them to the floor. He then got dressed into a new pair of black pants and a casual long-sleeved black shirt. He left his long white-hair loose as he tugged on a pair of worn boots.

His dirtied clothes needed a good, long soaking to get rid of all that blood. Fortunately, Isiah had washing powders that were able to remove blood. No surprise, really.

Dropping his clothes off into the laundry room, Varuna made his way down stairs. As he reached the bottom step, Falkner and his brother reappeared through the front door, Varuna's carry bag in his hands. He had almost forgotten about it.

"Here," Falkner said as he tossed him his belongings. "I got it from the Duscha."

Varuna caught the bag easily, but was a little surprised. "…Seems fuller than I remembered," he muttered.

"I added a few things that I picked up as well," Falkner answered as he shrugged casually. "Might prove useful to you."

"Why would you-?" Varuna wanted to ask him why he would give him items that he took the time to gather himself, but Falkner had moved away, heading into the examination room that Bryce was still resting in.

Varuna wasn't sure if he should accept these…gifts. But Falkner seemed intent to let him have them. Perhaps it was his way of saying thanks for getting Bryce some help?

Whatever the reason, Varuna would give the items to Nitish. His way of saying sorry for worrying him. Even though Nitish didn't really know that he should have been worried.

Stepping out the backdoor, he immediately spotted his blond-haired brother amongst the flowers and vegetables of their back garden. He was kneeling on the ground in front of a lavender plant, carefully plucking the flowers and placing them in a basket beside him.

"Nitish?" Varuna called as he approached him.

"Varuna?" Nitish questioned as he turned his face toward him.

A soft expression of relief appeared on Nitish's face as he struggled to push himself to his feet. Varuna instinctively reached out to him to steady him when Nitish swayed a little, most likely still recovering from working late that night.

"Good," Nitish said as he folded his hands gracefully in front of him, a gentle smile on his lips. "You're ok."

"You…had a dream?" Varuna questioned.

Nitish nodded his head as he tugged at his robes, which were a little too big on his tall, slender frame. He suddenly paused in his movements, his brow furrowing ever so slightly. He didn't look annoyed or anything, simply surprised. "…You left Tharsis?"

"I did," Varuna immediately confessed, unable to lie to his brother. "I, ah, helped a guild for a quest." He then presented the bag he was holding to Nitish. "Here. Items from the Lush Woodlands."

"You got these for me?" Nitish asked as he received the bag, holding it in his arms.

"That's right."

"From the labyrinth…?" Nitish murmured as he looked into the bag. A soft expression of surprise and interest flickered across his face, no doubt immediately recognising or sensing the value of some of the items. But then he looked almost guilty and torn.

"But, you weren't hurt, were you?" he suddenly asked (although it didn't really sound like a question…), raising his slightly mismatched eyes toward him.

"No, I'm fine," Varuna immediately answered. He wasn't hurt. Someone else got hurt protecting him, but he wasn't harmed in anyway. "They make you happy, right?"

Nitish slowly nodded his head. "But they won't if you got hurt gathering them for me."

"But I didn't get hurt," Varuna stated, even going as far as giving his brother a quick hug to prove that he was physically ok. "Don't feel guilty. I got them to make you happy, so make as many potions as you want."

Nitish seemed to relax after that, that gentle smile of his reappearing on his lips. It always made Varuna happy to see his brother smile like that. Crafting items, making potions; it was only then that Varuna could not see the haunted look in his eyes. Even his left eye, dull from partial blindness, seemed to brighten as well.

As Varuna pulled away from his brother, Nitish suddenly reached up and took a piece of his silver hair between his slender fingers. Nitish had his head tilted to the side slightly, as if in thought. He seemed to snap out of his musings a moment later, though, and shook his head slightly.

"It's not your fault," he said gently before removing his hold on his hair, clutched the bag of items against his chest and slowly made his way back inside the house.

Varuna had no idea what he meant or why he said it, but he did feel a little bit better after hearing it. It was pretty clear that Nitish did not know everything that had happened in the Lush Woodlands, but he could sense the guilt Varuna was carrying. And he simply responded to that.

Picking up the basket of lavender flowers Nitish accidentally left behind in his haste to examine the items from the Lush Woodlands, Varuna headed back inside. Nitish would be in his room now, carefully sorting through the items and sensing to see if any of them were useful.

"Varuna?"

Varuna paused in his movements when he heard a familiar voice. He turned around to see Blayden standing a few feet away from him, a gentle sparkle back in his blue eyes. "Hm?"

"I just want to thank you for saving my brother," Blayden stated, unexpectedly bowing lowly in gratitude.

Varuna shook his head. He couldn't accept Blayden's thanks. After all, it was because of him that Bryce nearly died. "I didn't do anything."

"You did," Blayden insisted, taking a few steps forward to reach out and take Varuna's hand in his. "If you hadn't attacked that monster, then it would have killed Bryce. It's because of you that we're still alive."

A small part of Varuna wanted to argue, but Blayden looked so insistent. "…Ok," he said instead. "Make sure that idiot doesn't do anything reckless again."

A smile appeared on Blayden's lips. "Kay."

… … … … …

A few hours later, at dusk, Isiah felt that it should be ok for Bryce to leave, to head back to whatever place he resided with his guild. While the injury had been mostly healed, the strain of the muscles and tenderness of the skin needed extra time to heal completely. Healing and medicines could only do so much. From this point on, the body's own immune system needed to do the rest.

Varuna stood beside Isiah as they watched the haggard members of the Phaedron Guild leave their premises. It was actually kinda nice to see the guys leave under their own accord. Usually, Isiah had to literally kick out his patients. For some reason, he usually got stuck with the notorious rowdy or stubborn ones.

"You need to take it easy for a while," Isiah said, not as a suggestion, but a statement. "That injury was pretty deep."

Although Bryce had one arm around Falkner's neck for support, he looked far better than he did when they dragged him inside. He was nowhere near as pale as he was and the thick bandages around his torso were there for support more than anything else.

Bryce nodded in regards to Isiah's command before waving his other hand dismissively. Out of everyone in his guild, he seemed to be taking his near-death experience the easiest. "I'll be fine."

"We'll make sure he doesn't do anything stupid," Falkner commented with a somewhat cheeky half-smile on his lips.

"Thanks so much for your help," Blayden said, this time turning his gratitude to Isiah.

But Isiah waved off his thanks. "Don't worry about it."

Taking their cue to leave, Falkner helped Bryce to turn around and begin a slow pace to wherever they were heading. But Blayden lingered behind, turning his attention to Varuna.

"Bye, Varuna," he said, his expression dimming a little. "Sorry it had to turn out like this."

"Bye, Blayden," Varuna replied. "Take care of your brother."

"I will."

"Hey," Bryce suddenly called out, pausing in his movements to glance over his shoulder at Varuna.

Varuna blinked. "…What?"

"Sorry you had to see that," Bryce unexpectedly said, a sense of remorse in his voice. "See ya around."

Watching as Bryce limped from view, Varuna was slightly surprised with himself for wanting to see this guild again. They were reckless, sincere and a little exciting. But…

Maybe it would be for the best that they don't meet again, right?

* * *

**AN:** Please let me know what you think! :3


	6. Chapter 6

**AN:** Thanks so much marcatiss and ACloudyForecast for reviewing!

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Chapter 6:

Varuna had his forehead resting on top of his desk, his arms hanging limply by his sides. In his head he was berating himself for what had happened that very day. Entering the Lush Woodlands with a group of complete strangers was not only completely out of character for him, it was damn near life-threatening.

He had to admit, though, that getting some field experience would ensure that his research was up to the standards that it needed to be. And spending those few hours in the Lush Woodlands had indeed been educational. He was starting to understand the mechanics of the labyrinth and what explorers encountered every day.

There were a lot more plants and animal life residing in the Lush Woodlands than Varuna had known about or had even expected. It made sense in hindsight. Of course the labyrinth would hold a whole new eco-system.

Varuna needed to do a more thorough study. Of the Lush Woodlands and the grottoes and caves found in the Windy Plains. Not to mention the Windy Plains as well! What other plants, birds and animals that could be found that could be eaten? The thought of the many possibilities alone was somewhat overwhelming…

"Varuna?"

The sound of his brother's voice pulled Varuna out of his inner musings and berating. He immediately lifted his head up and looked over to the door of his office. Nitish was standing in the threshold, holding the bag that Varuna used to gather items. "Nitish? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Nitish was quick to reassure as he stepped inside the room. "I just wanted to go through these items with you."

Oh, right, he needed to check to see if there was any hidden toxicity within the items or whether or not they could prove to become poisonous in large doses. "Sure."

While the desk that Varuna used to write reports and study notes was rather messy, he had another desk in the far corner where he would study any of the items that were given to him. There he had all the equipment he needed to do a thorough study without accidentally contaminating his notes.

Nitish placed the bag on top of the bench and carefully removed the items from the labyrinth. He was gentle with the flowers and leaves that Varuna had gathered, Nitish's brow furrowing slightly, already sensing some of the qualities. He seemed most interested in the nameless yellow flowers that grew along the many pathways.

Varuna, on the other, was interested to study that mandrake they had encountered. Was it actually of the same natural structure of a mandrake plant?

Slipping on a pair of gloves, Varuna carefully inspected the carved up mandrake roots. He was somewhat surprised to realise that this mandrake root had the same properties as the mandrake plant they had growing in a sheltered part of the garden. However, like Bryce had suggested, it was indeed more potent. Still, he wondered if that was a good thing. Roots from a mandrake plant were used for their emetic and purgative properties.

Emetic was simply a fancy word for causing one to vomit. Yeah, not exactly charming, was it? But it was useful for patients who had eaten something poisonous.

"Varuna?" Once again Nitish gently pulled Varuna from his musings. "For some reason, I am getting the words 'St John's Wort' in my head," Nitish said, looking both interested and confused. "I also sense a few medicinal properties. I believe I can make essential oil from this."

Varuna glanced over to the yellow flowers resting in Nitish's hands. "For massage lotions?"

"Yes," Nitish nodded. "As well as infusions and liquid extracts for pharmaceutical preparations. But there is a risk of sensitivity to sunlight."

When Nitish carefully offered Varuna the flower, he took it to see if there was anything to be cautionary about. There were some essential oils or herbs that could only be used in small doses, and many that pregnant women could not use. Not something explorers needed to be concerned about. Still, there were some female explorers who find themselves 'shockingly' pregnant.

"Hmm…they also appear to hold a mild sense of toxin," Varuna murmured as reached for a notepad and writing utensil. "Harmful if eaten, especially toxic to livestock," he scribbled some notes before pausing. "I do remember hearing something. A few farmers seemed to have concerns about their stock. The Count thought that it the wild food products were to blame. Maybe it was this all along?"

"Yes, I think that's plausible," Nitish said with a nod of his head.

Before they could discuss their findings further, a loud noise outside their building pulled both Varuna and Nitish from their study. Varuna's office was situated up stairs and overlooking the streets out front of their residence. With the influx of all these rookie explorers loitering around, it wasn't uncommon for there to be scuffles or fights to break out for no apparent reason.

Standing up from his desk, Varuna quickly made his way over to the window and peered outside. However, instead of seeing two rival guilds getting into a bit of a punch-up, there was that lone explorer that Isiah had dealt with earlier that day. Some explorers never learn…

"What's wrong?" Nitish asked.

"It's nothing," Varuna said as his brother moved to stand beside him so that he could peer outside as well. "It's just that explorer again who wants Isiah to heal him for free."

"God dammit, dumbass," Isiah was immediately heard cursing as he stood at the very top of the stairs, staring down at the haggard looking explorer. He had his hands in his pockets as he peered down through one eye. His mace was nowhere to be found, but that didn't really mean much. While he liked to use his weapon against unruly or utterly annoying patients, he wasn't exactly harmless without his mace.

Should be entertaining, whatever happened.

"The next time I see your ugly mug around here, there had better be a grasseater's leg sticking out of your forehead," Isiah continued. "If you come whimpering about another splinter, I swear…"

"Excuse me," a deep male voice suddenly interrupted.

"What?" Isiah snapped, turning to glare directly in the direction of the voice.

Standing under the bright street light was a tall, well-built fortress with brown hair. With him was a rather beautiful male dancer with purple hair and blue eyes. They approached the stairs, rather undaunted by Isiah's glare or harsh tone, granting the other explorer the chance to scramble away from Isiah's annoyance.

"Are you Isiah?" the fortress asked.

Isiah, along with secretly watching Varuna and Nitish felt somewhat guarded. Usually, only soldiers or those working for the count knew of them. Then again…

"And if I am?" Isiah asked, sounding very distrustful.

The dancer smiled gently as he folded his arms over his torso. "We just wanted to thank you for helping out Bryce and the other members of our guild."

Varuna perked up hearing a familiar name and Isiah seemed to relax somewhat at that, turning slightly to give them his full attention. "So, they're from your guild, huh?"

"Yes, that's right," the fortress answered before he motioned to himself. "My name is Roxbury." He then motioned to his companion with his hand. "And this is Mahalah."

"No need for thanks," Isiah said as he gave a slight, dismissive wave of his hand. "From what I heard, he was injured protecting one of my own. We're even."

A smile appeared on Roxbury's face, giving him a rather friendly appearance. "Ah, is that so?"

"Varuna, right?" Mahalah questioned as he tilted his head to the side, his own smile never faltering. Still, Varuna couldn't help but wince subtly from hearing his own name. "Please give our thanks to him, as well."

"Sure," Isiah replied simply.

"Saying thanks doesn't seem enough," Roxbury went on to say. "If you think of something, please don't hesitate to let us know."

"Thanks again," Mahalah added before the two took their leave, turning to walk in the direction they had appeared in.

Varuna took a moment to mull over the short conversation in his mind. They were from the same guild as Bryce and the others? But he said that he needed a fifth person for a quest. Since he had more than five people already in his guild, why did he ask Varuna to tag along?

"He had six people in his guild," Varuna mumbled to himself, unaware that Nitish was silently studying him. "Why did he…?"

… … … … …

Varuna had a rather restless night sleep. He was up bright and early the next day, still confused in regards to the many events that happened just yesterday. What left him bewildered the most, however, was why Bryce picked him out of practically everyone in Tharsis for what was supposed to be a quick jaunt into the Lush Woodlands for a quest?

Was the Count somehow involved? Seemed rather suspicious that the Count should make a suggestion to indulge in some field research, only to have a guild practically drag him along.

"Varuna?"

Nitish always managed to pull him out of his musings when they were confusing him, so as usually, Varuna was happy for the distraction.

"These are items that I cannot make potions with," Nitish explained as he held a brown paper bag of items against his chest. "What should we do with them?"

"I'll take care of them," Varuna said as he took the bag from his brother's hold. He knew exactly what to do with them. "I'll be going out for a bit. Won't be long."

Clutching the bag against his chest with one arm, Varuna quickly made his way outside and into the streets of Tharsis. It was still rather early in the morning, the time where explorers are usually getting up to spend the day doing quests or simply exploring. If he was lucky enough, he could catch the recipient of his parcel before they head out.

It was surprisingly easy to locate Bryce amongst the throng of explorers, the brown-haired landsknecht still recovering from his injuries, and yet didn't seem to be impaired by them. He was standing outside the Peacock Pub, speaking with his brother, whom of which seemed to be as enthusiastic and full of energy as ever.

Pushing his way through the crowd, Varuna made a beeline toward them.

Restlessly glancing at his surroundings, the blond-haired Blayden was the first to spot Varuna. A bright smile appeared on his lips, his expression surprisingly brightening. "Oh, hey, Varuna!" he greeted cheerfully.

Varuna gave Blayden a small smile before coming to a halt in front of Bryce and shoving the bag he was carrying into Bryce's chest.

Bryce made a soft 'oof' sound from the force before raising a quizzical eyebrow, making no attempt to take the bag that Varuna had shoved at him. "What's this?" he simply asked.

So Varuna answered simply. "Items from the Lush Woodlands."

Bryce furrowed his brow, still making no attempt to take hold of the bag. "Eh? Didn't you want these?"

"They're no good for making potions," Varuna explained, rather tersely as he pressed the bag a little harder. "Take them."

Irritatingly, Bryce looked suspicious, giving Varuna this critical look. "What's wrong with them?"

"There's nothing wrong with them," Varuna snapped, bristling slightly. "We just can't use them to make remedies. Take them to the Atelier and sell them."

Finally, Bryce took hold of the bag, but only because something inside was poking his chest. He still had this exasperatingly suspicious expression on his face, though. "So, you're saying we need the money?"

"Of course you need the money," Varuna said, even going as far as lifting his hand to poke at Bryce's chest with his finger, emphasizing each word. "You need the money to buy medicas, which you will need for always being so reckless."

"So you're saying I can't handle myself?"

"Of course you can't handle yourself."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"What do you think it means?"

"Hmm…You two get along so well."

Varuna suddenly remembered that Blayden had been standing there for the entire exchange, standing silently in the background. He skittishly turned to look at the short blond, somewhat startled to see a look of amusement on his features.

However, when Varuna looked into Blayden's blue eyes, he felt an overwhelming sense of guilt wash over him. He abruptly remembered the events of what happened yesterday, remembered how Bryce put his own life on the line to protect him, and remembered the look of utter fear on Blayden's face to see his older brother in such a state.

Varuna bit his bottom lip as he abruptly turned away, his guilt gnawing at him even more. He began to muse that maybe relying on a guild to protect him while he did his research out in the field would be unfair to the guild themselves. Maybe it would be better if he simply left this guild alone…

"Hey!"

Before Varuna could get very far, though, a hand unexpectedly snared his wrist. A strong, sharp tug forced him to spin around, a look of blatant surprise flickering across his features when he came face to face with Bryce. The brown-haired landsknecht held Varuna's wrist in a surprisingly tender hold, lifting up his hand so that Varuna could see it from the corner of his eye as he looked into Bryce's face.

"Look, stop feeling guilty about what happened," Bryce practically demanded, his face creased into a scowl. "That wasn't your fault."

A soft look of surprise and vulnerability appeared on Varuna's face. "If I didn't trip…"

"Yeah, and if we didn't go into the labyrinth in the first place, it wouldn't have happened," Bryce stated quite firmly. "But I'm not dead. Not even close. It was a close-call, but that was all that it was. It was no one's fault. It just happened."

Varuna wasn't sure about that, but for some reason, he felt a sense of…comfort from his words. But the only people he believed without question were Nitish and Isiah. So why was he finding Bryce's words so honest and truthful?

But, most importantly, why was he letting Bryce continued to hold his hand…?

… … … … …

"Oh, hey dere Nitish!" Wynne from the Atelier greeted cheerfully, as she always did. However, she became excited when she noticed a brown bag filled with potions and other medicines that Nitish was able to crafted with the items that he had been given. "Ooh, did ya brung more mediacs?"

Nitish nodded his head, smiling softly when he felt the young girl's honesty and enthusiasm. He cheerfulness only grew when he handed over the bag for her to quickly snatch up, Wynne unable to stop herself from taking a peek inside.

"Good! We've been running out of them for sum reason," she said before she bounded into the back of the Atelier, shouting the entire way. "Hey, boss! We got da medicas you wanted!"

Nitish waited just outside for her to reappear, knowing that she was retrieving yet more items for him to work with.

Sure enough, a moment later Wynne reappeared with another bag of natural ingredients, as well as a wad of cash to pay for the medicas he had crafted. "'Ere, Nitish. Boss says thanks for da good work!"

Again, Nitish smiled softly as he retrieved the bag. He didn't like to talk all that much, unless it was with Varuna or Isiah. Wynne, however, didn't mind his lack of vocal answers as she spoke enough for the both of them anyway.

"Oh, excuse me," a new, yet somewhat familiar voice suddenly interrupted. "I'm actually looking for some medicas."

Turning toward the source of the voice, Nitish paused in his movements. Normally, he would politely excuse himself before scurrying away whenever a customer appeared. But this customer was familiar to him. The purple-haired dancer was the very same as the one who had thanked both Varuna and Isiah for helping his guild.

If Nitish remembered correctly, his name was Mahalah.

"Eh?" Wynne muttered before turning her attention to her new customer, a bright smile of recognition immediately appearing on her face. "Oh, you're from that Phaedron Guild, huh? You're in luck! Nitish 'ere has just brought us some more."

"Oh? You make medicas?" Mahalah asked as he turned his full attention to Nitish, taking a moment to study him before smiling surprisingly warmly. "How remarkable."

Nitish also took a moment to study the man in front of him. He could feel a sense of warmth from him. He seemed truthful and compassionate, no harsh ego involved. His aura was gentle and reassuring.

Finding Mahalah's aura sincere, Nitish reached into the pocket of his robes to pull out a small blue bottle. It was a special medicine that he had created with the items from the Lush Woodlands, but this medicine he had no intention of selling. It was crafted with gratitude for the man who had protected his brother.

Varuna hadn't told him, but from what Nitish was able to sense from both Varuna and Isiah, the man known as Bryce had indeed placed his life on the line to save Varuna. And for that, Nitish was thankful.

"…Here," he said softly as he held the bottle toward the dancer. "Please give this to your landsknecht."

A sense of surprise appeared in Mahalah's expression, but he carefully retrieved the potion he was being offered, tilting his head to the side as he did so. "Hm?"

"I just…want to say thank you for saving my brother," Nitish murmured as he pulled his hand back and nervously folding his hands together in front of him.

"Hey!" Wynne suddenly whined, not giving Mahalah a chance to make any sort of reply. "Don't be giving out freebies!"

"Excuse me," Nitish murmured as he bowed his head ever so slightly before turning around and quickly taking his leave. Behind him he could sense that Wynne was somewhat annoyed, thinking that she had lost a sale, while Mahalah seemed intrigued.

"…He's a very quiet person, isn't he?" Mahalah was heard saying before giving a gentle chuckle. "How interesting."

* * *

**AN:** New characters, yay! Let me know what you think!


	7. Chapter 7

**AN:** Thanks so much notasongfic, Marcatiss and ACloudyForecast for reviewing the previous chapter! There won't be an update next week as I'll be going into hospital again…Anyway, hope you'll enjoy reading this chapter!

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Chapter 7:

Loitering around the hang-out places for explorers wasn't something Isiah normally did. He rarely had the time, nor the patience, in dealing with the boastfulness or arrogance of rookie (or even veteran) explorers.

Today, however, he was searching for a certain fortress. And finding the tall, well-built man amongst the throngs of scantily clad and looking like they should still be in diapers explorers was relatively easy. It also helped that some of the veterans seemed to fear him and knew to stay out of his way.

Stepping inside the Dancing Peacock, Isiah made his way over to fortress Roxbury, whom of which was standing in front of the bulletin board, looking at the requests posted up there.

"Hey."

"Hm?" Roxbury murmured as he turned to look to his side, not all that concerned that someone was trying to get his attention. However, he subconsciously straightened his posture when he realised that Isiah was the one trying to get his attention. A look of realisation immediately appeared on his face. "Oh, it's you. Isiah, wasn't it?"

Not liken the crowds and the eavesdroppers, Isiah asked him simply; "Can we talk?"

"Sure," Roxbury was quick to reply, a look of interest flickering in his eyes. He, however, seemed to realise that Isiah wanted to speak with him in private, so motioned for Isiah to follow him.

Thankfully getting away from all the whippersnappers, they slip outside, heading toward the small, but well-manicured park region of the city. Now in peace and quiet, the two of them took a seat near the look-out that overlooked the Mark Grand Court.

"What do you wish to talk about?" Roxbury asked him, his curiosity barely restrained.

"Before we start, mind if I ask you why you and the members of your guild explorers?" Isiah asked, deciding that being frank and to the point was far more beneficial. "Fame and fortune?"

He had been a medic for a long time. His father was a medic. He knew all about the recklessness that some guilds have and he knew all about the consequences. And he had no interest in any guild that was only interested in being a celebrity and getting as rich as possible.

"No, not really," Roxbury answered, sounding refreshingly truthful. "While we are interested in discovering the Yggdrasil's secrets, it's not because we want the recognition. I suppose it's more for the adventure. Staying in one place, simply carrying on with life. Gets a bit stagnate after a while, doesn't it?"

Isiah couldn't argue with that. "…That's true."

Roxbury leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "Why do you ask?"

"You remember Varuna?"

Roxbury nodded his head. "Yes, the Night-Seeker who helped out my guildmates during that quest."

"He's been feeling restless lately and I believe him becoming an explorer would be good for him," Isiah explained, deciding to be truthful as well. "But he refuses as he won't leave his brother behind. You haven't met him, but he's name is Nitish. They're very…reliant on each other. I won't go into why."

Very reliant. It wasn't anyone else's business why they were.

"Anyway, I'll get straight to the point," Isiah continued as he leaned back, his arm hanging casually over the back of the bench. "I'm looking for a guild that won't do anything stupid and reckless. I'm a researcher and I work for the Count. As does Varuna and Nitish. We're looking for some field experience, but as I'm sure you're well aware of, some guilds don't have the patience to have three researching trailing behind."

"That's true," Roxbury said as he slowly nodded his head, taking a moment to let what Isiah was telling him to mull over in his head. "There are many rookie guilds that seem intent on getting through the labyrinths as quickly as possible."

Isiah snorted lightly. "We know how well that works."

"What are you trying to suggest?" Roxbury asked him, not sounding suspicious, but rather curious.

"You've probably got some idea already," Isiah answered before continuing with his explanations. "For whatever reason, Varuna seemed to have trusted your guild members enough to accompany them."

"I take it he doesn't trust easy?"

"Something like that," Isiah murmured. It was more like Varuna didn't know how to trust other people.

"So, you're looking for a guild to help with your research?" Roxbury asked, looking for confirmation to his assumptions.

"That's right," Isiah said as he leaned his head back to look up at the blue sky above. "We're not going to be barking orders and, yes, we will participate in anything and everything that your guild will. Including battles. We're not going to be dead weight, but we will most likely slow you down."

"You wish to become an explorer yourself?" Roxbury unexpectedly asked.

"Eh, personally? Not really," Isiah answered rather dismissively. "Not that I am willing to admit anything, of course. But I aint getting any younger."

"I'm sure you're not having a mid-life crisis." There was a slight sense of amusement in Roxbury's voice.

"Not yet," Isiah muttered. "Anyway, I'm protective of Varuna and Nitish. Maybe too much, I agree. But they have been through a lot. I believe in getting out there, in the labyrinth would help them into becoming more confident in themselves."

Roxbury was silent once more, taking a moment to process what he was learning. "You work for the count? Sounds interesting. What kind of research do you do?"

"Medical research," Isiah's said. "Or more specifically, injuries sustain by monster attacks. With the different types of monsters comes different types of attacks, and with different attacks come different injuries."

"And different types of injuries require different types of healing?" Roxbury finished for him.

Isiah nodded as he roughly scratched the back of his neck. "That's right. I work together with Varuna and Nitish."

"What research do they conduct?"

"Varuna is a toxicologist and Nitish is a naturopath."

Yet again, Roxbury become silent. Keeping his elbows on his knees, he rested his chin in the palm of his right hand, staring out at the scenery in front of them. "Hmm. I'll have to run this past my guild," he finally murmured.

"I figured you would," Isiah said as he heaved himself to his feet. He then turned to look at Roxbury, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I'm not asking for an immediate answer, nor am I asking in return of a favour. It's up to you to think about it."

Turning on his heel, Isiah decided to leave the fortress to his thoughts, waving a hand over his shoulder as he walked away. "You know where to find me."

Having completed what he had set out to do, Isiah made his way back to his home, simply known as That Clinic. He wasn't into fancy names, although he was pretty certain the locals had some colourful descriptions about his residence. Not that he cared too much. His old man, fatherly but eccentric, never did, so neither did Isiah.

Walking into the Clinic, Isiah wasn't all that surprised to find Varuna and Nitish home. And busy working. Varuna was in the library going through a thick reference book, while Nitish was in the kitchen, brewing some infusions with the flowers and herbs he had gathered, either from the garden out back or those that were given to him from the labyrinth.

From the strong smell of lavender, Isiah assumes that it was the former.

Anyway, with the both of them home and within hearing range, it was the perfect time to tell them what he had done.

Normally, Isiah would have sat down and discussed what he had in mind for the three of them with both Varuna and Nitish. However, this time it was different. He had to make a move before the two brothers knew. That way, Varuna or Nitish couldn't unconsciously sabotage this attempt to move forward.

"Varuna, Nitish," Isiah called out, immediately gaining the brothers' attention. He then pointed toward the lounge/sitting area. "Let's talk."

Dutifully, yet with a small sense of trepidation, Varuna and Nitish put down what they were holding and shuffled their way over to the lounge chairs. The two brothers took a seat across from Isiah, who lounged casually in his, his arm hanging over the back of his seat.

"Is something wrong?" Varuna was the one to asked, his head tilted ever so slightly to the side.

"I think you're right," Isiah said plainly, turning his attention to Varuna.

Varuna blinked, puzzled at first before a soft look of realisation appeared on his face. "…About what?" he asked slowly, although he already had some idea already.

"Getting first-hand experience," Isiah explained simply. "It should be good for all of us."

"You think we should enter the labyrinth?" Varuna questioned, looking for a bit of verification. "Just the three of us?"

Isiah waved off his concern. As if he would be reckless enough to go trekking merrily into the unknown, without back-up. He had seen far too many casualties to know that it was a bad idea. "No, not just the three of us. We won't exactly enter a guild, but I think we can cooperate with one."

Varuna nodded his head, seemingly happy with that reassurance. "What guild?"

Isiah barely hid a smirk. "You know them."

Surprisingly, a light blush danced across Varuna's cheeks before he spluttered. "T-them?"

"Entering the labyrinths would help with our research," Nitish suddenly stated, sounding and looking as though he understood the situation and was accepting it readily.

Varuna immediately turned to look at his brother beside him, concern etching on his face. "But it's also dangerous."

"I know," Nitish replied serenely, his hands folded gently on his lap. He turned to look at his brother, a slightly pained look suddenly appearing on his face. "I don't want to hold you back," he added softly.

An almost identical expression appeared on Varuna's face. "But I don't want to leave you behind."

"That's why all of us are going to get involved," Isiah said. As adorable as the two brothers could be, their concern for each other's safety was unnecessary.

Blinking, Varuna turned his attention back to Isiah, looking somewhat puzzled. "All…?"

"We're family, right?" Isiah stated more so than asked. "We need to stick together. "

Varuna was silent for a few moments as his brow creasing slightly as he allowed the words to mull over in his head. A moment later, a soft expression of guilt appeared in his eyes. "…Is this because of me?"

"Yep."

While still looking guilty, Varuna also looked at Isiah with gratitude. "…Thank you," he said softly.

"Forget it," Isiah said, waving an idle hand dismissively. "Besides, I've been getting bored as well. And it would be a complete waste of Nitish's abilities if all he made was medicas."

While it was Varuna who was the catalyst of them actually entertaining the thought of entering the labyrinth, it was something they all needed to do. They were researchers, and their research was necessary for the longevity of explorers. If they were to help the city of Tharsis to prosper, then they needed to apply their skills to the best of their abilities.

Really, it was only a matter of time.

"I'll stay at the back, so you won't have to worry about me," Nitish said to Varuna, offering him a bit of comfort, the white-haired night-seeker still holding a small sense of guilt in his expression, but there was also a sense of excitement.

"Don't get ahead of yourselves," Isiah warned. "We still haven't got confirmation from that guild in question."

"Right," Varuna said, but with a small smile nonetheless.

… … … … …

It was nearing nightfall when Varuna heard a knock at the front door. He was half-way down the stairs, watching with curiosity, as well as hope, as Isiah made his way to the door. While it wasn't unusual that they get visitors, they were usually soldiers of Tharsis with samples of what they had discovered in the Windy Plains.

"Ah, Isiah," a voice greeted in a friendly manner.

From his position on the stairs, Varuna couldn't quite see who Isiah was talking to, but the voices sounded familiar. It had to be the Phaedrons. Were they visiting with their response?

"Hey," Isiah replied, sounding somewhat friendly himself. "I see you've made your decision."

There was a soft chuckle as another person spoke. "Well, how can we possibly say no?"

Ah, that must be the dancer, Mahalah. And with him must be Roxbury.

"We would be fools to say no to such an offer." Yep, that sounded like the man known as Roxbury. "Varuna has proven to be quite capable out in the field, and Blayden and Fletcher seem to like him."

"And a medic is always welcomed," Mahalah added. "We look forward to meeting Nitish as well. I'm sure he'll fit in well."

"Well then, come in," Isiah said, seemingly urging them in.

When Roxbury and Mahalah took up Isiah's invitation, it became evident very quickly that the whole guild was involved. Bryce was there with his brother, as was Falkner with his own little brother.

Blayden hurried inside without a sense of nervousness as he looked up at Isiah. "Are you really going to join our guild?" he asked.

"I'm only a guest," Isiah explained as they moved into the seating area of the clinic. "But someone needs to make sure you lot stay in one piece."

"Jeez," Bryce grumbled as he folded his arms over his chest. Despite the scowl on his face, he looked to be in a much, much better state than what Varuna had seen him. "You have one encounter with a FOE and you never hear the end of it."

"Oh, one more thing," Isiah said as he plonked himself down onto a couch. "Nitish is partially blind in his left eye. It doesn't affect his quality of life, but he is a little self-conscious of it, so try not to bring it up."

Varuna couldn't help but wince, but it was something they couldn't afford to hide.

"Of course," Roxbury replied rather easily, seeming not all that concerned. "We'll just have to make sure that someone is always standing on his left to make up for it."

Now that it was official that the Phaedrons were the guild they were going to be working with, Varuna quickly made his way up the stairs to seek out his brother. Nitish was once again pottering around with his herbology.

"Nitish, they're here," Varuna said simply.

Nitish looked up and smiled softly. He didn't seem surprised. He nodded his head as he set about to tidy up. "I'll be down in a moment."

Varuna nodded his head silently before turning and making his own way down stairs. "Isiah?"

Isiah paused in what he was talking with Roxbury about to look toward Varuna. "Can you call Nitish?"

"He'll be down in a minute. He's just cleaning up," Varuna explained as he approached the group. As he did so, Roxbury and Mahalah both stood up to address him.

"Ah, so you're Varuna," Roxbury asked in a friendly manner. "Blayden has told me a great deal about you."

Varuna immediately glanced over to Blayden, wondering what the smiling imp had actually said about him. "Has he now?" Should he be nervous?

"No need to be embarrassed," Mahalah said with a small, light laugh.

"Well, my name is Roxbury," Roxbury formally introduced himself. "I'm the leader of this guild."

"And I am Mahalah," the purple-haired dancer added, still smiling rather serenely. "Second in charge, I suppose you could say."

"Ah, it's nice to meet you," Varuna replied. And he meant that. The two leaders sounded and appeared friendly. In hindsight, it made sense. Someone like Bryce would never hack dealing with anyone overbearing or degrading.

"Varuna?"

Turning to look at the stairs leading to the second floor, Varuna smile reassuringly at his brother. Nitish wasn't all that fond of crowds, so was no doubt feeling somewhat overwhelmed and apprehensive with having so many people inside of their residence.

"Nitish, come here." Varuna urged him to stand next to him before turning to the members of guild Phaedrons. "This is my brother, Nitish."

"Oh?" Mahalah said with a sense of surprise. "We've meet before, haven't we?"

Folding his hands in front of him, Nitish nodded his head. "At the Atelier."

"Yes, that's right," Mahalah said, soundingly genuinely pleased. "You gave me that potion for Bryce. It was very effective, so thank you very much."

Potion? Varuna was a little surprised. He glanced over to Nitish before peering over to Bryce, whom of which returned his gaze, scratching the back of his neck in an almost embarrassed manner. Well, that would explain why he looked healthier than earlier that day. But when did Nitish make the potion?

"Did you make that with the items found from the Lush Woodlands?" Mahalah went on to ask. When he received a slight nod as his answer, his expression turned to that of warmth.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Nitish. My name is Mahalah," he then turned to the rest of his guildmembers. "This is Roxbury, Bryce, Blayden, Falkner and Fletcher."

"Nice to meet you, too," Nitish said politely, his shoulders becoming a bit more relaxed. He was no doubt sensing sincere interest and intrigue from the group before him.

Using the momentarily lapse in silence, the two young brothers of the group approached Nitish, Blayden looking up at him with a sense of awe. "You're Varuna's brother?" he asked.

Nitish tilted his head to the side in a gentle sign of curiosity before nodding his head silently.

"Wow, you are tall!" Blayden said, sounding both impressed and a little bit jealous.

"You're a bit skinny, though," Fletcher added as he toyed with the goggles that were perched atop of his black hair. "We'll just have to get Dalla to fatten you up!"

Nitish continued to look at the two silently. Thankfully, though, he didn't seemed to be feeling daunted by the attention.

"You don't talk much, do you?" Blayden asked, but not maliciously, but merely an observation.

And Nitish answered with a simple shake of his head.

"That's ok," Blayden went on to say as reassurance. "I tend to talk too much. Well, that's what Bryce always says. He's always telling me to shut up. He can be so rude. I bet Varuna is totally awesome brother to you, huh?"

"Squirt, I'm standing right here," Bryce grumbled, having stayed quiet for most of the introductions.

"At least I'm not talking behind your back," Blayden retorted cheekily.

Falkner laughed loudly at that, while Bryce narrowed his eyes crossly, simply unable to make a retort to that. And that in itself seemed to annoy him even more.

Varuna wondered if he should intervene as Nitish didn't like large crowds nor being the centre of attention. But Nitish didn't seem to be too bothered. Perhaps he found their youthful innocence reassuring in some way?

"How far have you gone in the Lush Woodlands?" Isiah asked now that the introductions were over and done with.

"The second floor," Roxbury answered as he took a seat. "We're having a bit of trouble with Cutters."

"They're thankfully easy to get around, though," Mahalah added.

"We still need to retrieve that culantro for that request," Bryce decided to contribute to the conversation. "It's supposedly found on the first floor."

"Culantro?" Nitish questioned softly, which seemed to earn a sigh of exasperation from Bryce.

"Yes, the one with the letter 'u' in it."

Nitish was somewhat stunned by Bryce's terseness, so Varuna sent him a warning glare before turning his attention to Nitish. "We've already had this conversation," he explained.

Nitish nodded his head silently, but he still looked interested to know more of this quest.

"So, Nitish," Mahalah said as he turned his attention back to Nitish once more. "You're a naturopath, right? What kind of healing properties does culantro have?"

For a moment, Nitish was silent and his eyes slipped closed as he took the time to remember his research and pick his words carefully. Not long after, he opened his eyes and turned his attention fully to Mahalah. "Traditionally, for burns, earache, fevers, hypertension, fits, asthma, stomach-ache, and malaria."

Another moment of silence appeared, but this one was of stunned bewilderment. Varuna had to hide a smirk, while Isiah made no attempt. Nitish's ability to recall the properties of the items he had handled was quite extraordinary.

"…Really?" Mahalah all but spluttered. "All of that?"

"It depends on the method," Nitish explained.

Blayden reached over to tug at Nitish's sleeve, immediately gaining his attention. "Can you make potions for all of that if we get you some culantro?" he asked.

"Yes, it shouldn't be difficult," Nitish replied with a small smile.

Mahalah hummed in thought for a moment. "Well, how about after we retrieve some culantro for the client, we gather some for you to experiment with?" he asked.

Nitish quickly turned to look at Mahalah again, a soft expression of surprise on his face. While they received many different items from the Tharsis soldiers, they were usually only given samples to work with, rarely given a variety to work with at their leisure.

"R-really?"

"Sure," Mahalah smiled warmly as he folded his arms over his torso. "After all, you can never have too many medicines, right?"

"That sounds like a good place to start," Roxbury suddenly commented, quickly becoming the centre of attention. "I think Bryce and Blayden should take Isiah, Varuna and Nitish to the Lush Woodlands. The first floor at least."

Again, Mahalah hummed in thought before nodding his head in agreement. "Hmm, yes, that's sounds good. There are plenty of Forest Aloe and Small Flowers on that floor."

"First thing tomorrow then?" Bryce asked, looking for confirmation. Looking for confirmation from Varuna.

"Yes, that's fine," Varuna quickly replied.

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**AN:** Please let me know what you think so far!


	8. Chapter 8

**AN:** Thanks so much notasongfic, Marcatiss, Flaiche, ACloudyForecast and Terron145 for reviewing the previous chapter! I absolutely _**love**_ hearing from readers about what kind of pairings or character they like. Only I know the truth who the pairings will be, but it's still fun nonetheless! Keep guessing and don't forget to tell me who you ship with who!

Well, I'm out of hospital and hopefully I'll be able to keep up with the regular updates! I only went into hospital to have a procedure done, so I won't know the results for a while. Anyway, enough of that. Not much really happens in this chapter, but it's important nonetheless. Hope you'll enjoy reading!

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Chapter 8:

It was early morning when they stepped into the Lush Woodlands. A gentle breeze drifted through the trees, causing the sunlight to shimmer majestically upon the soft green grass. Stepping into the mystical, natural labyrinth for the second time, Varuna was once again taken aback by how beautiful and seemingly peaceful everything appeared to be.

Turning to look at his brother, Varuna was pleased to see a look of pure surprise etched on his face. He was struck by the natural beauty as well.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Varuna said to Nitish as he guided him along the waterline pathway.

"It is," Nitish immediately agreed as he glanced around in wonder.

Varuna then watched as Nitish walked over to that large, corky tree that caught Varuna's attention the first time he entered the labyrinth as well. Nitish placed his hand on the swollen trunk, gently running his fingers over the trunk. After a moment he removed his hand and pulled out a notebook, scribbling down a few notes.

"A baobab tree," he murmured under his breath. "It should produce fruit and…"

Varuna had to smile. Nitish was already finding new plants and trees to catalogue. With his abilities, it wouldn't be hard for anyone to imagine Nitish quickly recording every species of tree and item on this floor.

"Well, that didn't take him long," Bryce said as he moved to step beside Varuna, his left hand hanging idly on the hilt of his sword and his brow slightly furrowed. But despite his somewhat off-putting expression, there didn't seem to be any irritation in his posture. Maybe he naturally looked irritated all the time?

"Nitish, come over here," Blayden said as he jogged over to Nitish. "You can find Forest Aloe here!"

Then, surprising Varuna immensely, he took Nitish by the hand and proceeded to lead him away. It wasn't the fact that Blayden took Nitish's hand that surprised him; it was that Nitish was letting him. Nitish's hands were very sensitive after all. But he didn't pull away. So maybe it was Blayden's aura, bright and cheerful, so it wasn't bothering him in the slightest.

"Seems like Blayden has taken to your brother," Bryce commented lightly, folding his arms over his chest while he stood back, looking somewhat amused.

"Seems so," Varuna added, feeling some relief that Nitish was getting along with others. Since Nitish was so sensitive, he had always kept to himself and it worried Varuna that Nitish might not feel comfortable with others. But seeing him with Blayden, allowing the short blond-haired landsknecht to take his hand was very reassuring.

A rustling of leaves, sudden and loud, pulled Varuna out of his musings and immediately on alert, instinctively reaching for his knives. But as he turned toward the source of the sound, all he could see was Isiah, whom of which seemed to have caught a grasseater under his boot. The large grasshopper like monster was gnashing its mouth at him, trying to be aggressive and threatening, but with Isiah's boot planted firmly in the middle of its back, its legs sprawled out and useless, it was completely helpless.

"So this is a grasseater, huh?" Isiah questioned aloud as he studied the monster. "I take its legs are the most dangerous?"

"The back legs," Bryce provided for him, sounding a little surprised by what he was seeing. "They turn around to do this and can sting like a bitch."

"Hmm…I can imagine," Isiah muttered once again. He then lifted his boot, releasing the critter. But before the grasseater could jump up and retaliate, Isiah causally flicked his mace that he had strapped to his bag, whacking the grasseater and sending it bouncing a few feet away. It twitched before slumping to the ground, either dead or incapacitated.

"…Well," Bryce said under his breath, lifting his arm to scratch the back of his neck. "At least I know he can handle himself."

Varuna felt a wary smile spread across his lips. Bryce almost sounded impressed. "He's a medical researcher. Isiah deals with the most difficult of patients," he explained. And he meant really _difficult_ patients.

Resting his mace on his shoulder, Isiah approached Bryce in order to learn more about the monsters found on this level of the Lush Woodlands. While Isiah was, understandably, well informed about the types of injuries, it was important for him to learn how these injuries are sustained.

Feeling as though it was ok for him to carefully look at their surroundings with a studying gaze, Varuna turned his attention to the flowers and shrubs that surround the naturally formed passages and pathways. He pulled a note book of his own out and began to take study notes. Now that he was allowed to stay in one spot for a moment or two, he was able to take note of the many different plants that he hadn't noticed before.

There were a few mushrooms hidden in the shades of the bushes, small and red. He could immediately sense something positively dodgy about them. He needed to take a couple as samples that he could study in greater detail back at home.

A soft cough pulled Varuna out of his musings and he immediately turned his attention to his brother.

"You ok, Nitish?" Varuna asked when he noticed his brother was looking somewhat breathless and dazed. He was kneeling on the ground, his notebook lying idly in his lap.

"Yes, I'm fine," Nitish answered, but it was an automatic response. He didn't like to cause a fuss.

"Don't overdo it," Isiah said, his voice firm, yet gentle at the same time. He could clearly see that Nitish wasn't as fine as he should be. "You know you can't put too much strain on your body."

A soft look of shame and guilt appeared on Nitish's face. "But…"

"Oh, it's fine." Surprisingly, it was Bryce who took on the task of offering some reassurance, but in his usual terse manner. Varuna blinked as he turned to look at Bryce, finding the spiky brown-haired landsknecht standing a few feet away, his hand hanging idly over the hilt of his sword.

"Look, we need to go slow and steady anyway," Bryce explained. "Rushing head first into things will never end well."

"You're not holding us back," Blayden went onto add, smiling impishly as he folded his arms behind his back. "So don't think that way, ok?"

Varuna was unable to prevent a smile of his own from appearing on his lips when Nitish, surprised at first, slowly began to relax. The words that he was hearing must be sincere for him to nod his head slightly, his shoulders relaxing.

"I just need a moment to catch my breath," Nitish said, a small smile on his lips.

As Blayden approached Nitish to ask him what he was writing about, Varuna took the time to glance around at their surroundings. He couldn't out rightly sense any toxins, which was a good thing. But there was a pool of water in the middle of a medium size chamber. He couldn't see the source of the water, so wondered if the pool was of stagnant water, which could be quite poisonous to any explorer who was thirsty and decided to take a drink.

"This pool of water certainly isn't small, is it?" Varuna carefully knelt down near the edge of the water, and as he did so, he tried to gauge the depth of the pool. He could see the bottom, but it was a good couple of feet. "Or shallow."

"Kinda makes you wonder how thick the ceiling is on the floor below, doesn't it?" Bryce mused as he wandered over to join him, as well as to keep an eye out for any potential danger.

"It does," Varuna murmured as he reached into his bag to pull out a small bottle. "I might take a sample of this water as well. Seems surprisingly fresh, though I can't be too cautious."

"There are a few pools of water on this level," Bryce said, watching Varuna carefully. "I'm just glad we don't have any monsters hiding in them."

"Small blessings, huh?" Varuna commented idly as he moved to take a sample from the other side of the pool.

But before he could, though, Bryce suddenly snared his elbow and pulled him to a stop. Varuna turned to give him a questioning look, immediately becoming somewhat guarded when he noticed that Bryce was eyeing off their surroundings quite critically.

"Don't wander off too far," Bryce warned, his eyes narrowing protectively. "There's a few angry baboons around here. Like their name, they're really aggressive."

If Bryce was acting so suspicious, then it was best that Varuna didn't wander off. Bryce had more experience in the Lush Woodland than he did, after all. And was thankfully taking the role of protector quite seriously. Varuna was most certainly not stupid enough to defy his orders and rebel against him to make a point of his own. It was a researcher's duty to help explorers, not put them into danger.

"Bryce, Varuna!" Blayden suddenly called out. "We're ready to continue."

"Let's go this way then," Bryce said as he guided Varuna back toward the others, in the opposite direction. And Varuna willingly allowed him, a little worried about how Bryce was acting, and yet it was reassuring at the same time.

As was the grip Bryce had on his arm, which he only removed when they met up as a group again. As Varuna helped Nitish to stand up, Bryce shared a few silent words with Blayden. The young blonde's expression faltered for just a moment, but he soon plastered a grin on his lips.

"There's another place where we can find small flowers and Forest Aloe this way," Blayden said and began to lead the group, while Bryce took up the rear.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Varuna couldn't help but worry as he reached out to steady Nitish when he suddenly stumbled.

"…There is a bit of a sensory overload," Nitish finally confessed as he continued to hold onto Varuna's arm. "There are so many different plants and flowers that I am a little overwhelmed on where to start."

"It's a completely new eco-system," Varuna said as he nodded his head in complete understanding. "We hadn't anticipated that. Take your time, Nitish. We have plenty of it."

"Yes," Nitish said, a small smile making its way onto his lips once more. It was good to see him smiling more.

However, a moment later, Nitish's face changed into an expression of puzzlement, his nose wrinkling. He paused in his movements, unwillingly pulling Varuna to a stop as he was still holding onto his arm.

"…I can sense something," he said as he indicated to his nose and glanced around. "There's a smell."

"Smell?" Varuna questioned before he sniffed the air lightly. There was a slight scent in the air. It smelt slightly aromatic and spicy. "Hmm…Yeah, you're right."

Seeing that Varuna and Nitish had suddenly paused in their movements, Blayden and Isiah also came to a stop, turning to look at them in question, while Bryce paused behind them.

"I think it's the herb we're looking for is around here somewhere," Nitish said, sounding quite sure of himself.

Looking somewhat relieved that they could be nearing the end of this quest, Bryce glanced around. "Well, let's look around."

Making sure they stay in a group, the five of them started to search around, looking for small blue flowers with serrated leaves. The blue flowers should be able to stand out rather easily amounts the bright green shrubs and ferns.

"Hey! I found a passage way!" Blayden suddenly shouted. "I think the smell is coming from here."

Before they could reach Blayden in order to see if he was right, he pushed past a bush of pink flowers and disappeared from sight. As they moved closer, Varuna could see that there was a slight parting in the thick foliage. Bryce moved in first as it was obvious that they hadn't moved through this shortcut before, so he didn't know what was on the other side. Thankfully, there doesn't appear to be any malice from this room.

But as they stepped into the secret room, the smell that washed over them made Varuna, and everyone else for that matter, almost blanch at how strong it was.

"Phew, that is a stank," Bryce muttered as his hand automatically flew up to pinch his nose in attempt to prevent the smell from burning his nostrils.

"Yep, that's culantro alright," Varuna murmured. Once you smelt it, the scent was incredibly hard to forget.

Looking around the small clearing, Blayden suddenly dashed forward. "Look, there's a treasure chest," he said as he stopped in front of a strange stone-grey box with a blue gemstone on top.

"Eh? That's the first one we've encountered on this floor," Bryce commented as they walked further into the clearing. "What's inside?"

Throwing off the lid, Blayden glanced inside before pulling back, revealing a golden weapon. "A knife," he said before shrugging and surprisingly offered it to Varuna. "Here, Varuna, you can have it."

"Ah, thanks," Varuna said as he retrieved the short, golden knife and placed it within his cloak. This knife felt different from the ones that he owned. It felt a little stronger.

"That smell is coming from over here." Isiah said as they explored the area, quite literally following their noises.

Stepping into a small grotto, Nitish knelt onto the ground. "There's a few culantros here," he said as he carefully inspected the ground around him.

"Pick them all," Bryce said. "I think Dalla only wants one, but you can have the rest."

Nitish nodded before dutifully doing as he was told. He worked quickly, while also very carefully, to gather the herbs and placed them into his bag. He kept one separated from the others so that Bryce and his guild could fulfil their obligation to Dalla.

With their task done, they moved away from the almost overpowering smell and into the fresh air of the main labyrinth. Now that they had their culantro, they should probably call it a day. They had been wandering around the Lush Woodlands for a few hours, after all, and the three researchers had plenty of items and theories to study.

"The stairs to the next floor are over here," Blayden piped up.

A flicker of realisation appeared in Bryce's eyes before he shrugged. "Want to have a quick look?" he asked, turning to Varuna.

And, in turn, Varuna glanced over to Nitish and Isiah in a questioning manner. Without a word from either of them, they nod and Varuna turned back to Bryce. "Sure," he said.

Nodding his head in acceptance, Bryce motioned with his hand to follow him. They moved through the winding pathways silently, Varuna and his brothers still casting critical gazes at quite literally everything around them. In a place so remote, so untouched, there was the potential of items, plant-life and animal-life yet to be discovered.

It was actually a rather exciting thought.

The golden and green stone structure that held the stairs looked somewhat out of place amongst the natural setting of the Lush Woodlands. It was covered in strange marking that, some seemed to make the form of words, but they were indecipherable.

As they approached the stairs, another explorer suddenly appeared. He was a familiar face, Varuna had often seen him hanging around Tharsis, offering advice to rookie explorers. Even the occasional Tharsis soldier. However, at that moment, he appeared somewhat flustered and concerned. He also had a Tharsis soldier slung over his shoulder, obviously injured!

"Excuse me."

"Whirlwind?" Bryce murmured, rather startled by his abrupt appearance. He quickly gathered himself, becoming somewhat relaxed. "Hey."

"Ah, it's you," Whirlwind greeted in return, a small smile of relief on his face. An expression of recognition soon flickered in his eyes when he glanced over Bryce's shoulder to see that he had others with him. "Hm? Fancy seeing you here, Isiah."

"Whirlwind. Still loitering around, I see," Isiah said in some kind of greeting before pushing forward to inspect the soldier that Whirlwind was carrying.

"Oh. You two know each other?" Blayden said, surprised and interested, turning those big eyes up at Isiah.

"You could say that," Isiah answered absentmindedly as he continued his inspection. He reached forward to grab the man's wrist, checking for a pulse. "Doesn't look too good."

"Me or him?" Whirlwind asked with a somewhat lopsided smile on his lips. Still, despite his outwardly friendly appearance, there were beads of sweat on his brow and he seemed to be straining to keep the soldier on his shoulder. All that heavy armour that the soldier was wearing probably wasn't helping.

"Both, I would say," Isiah said, his eyes flickering up at Whirlwind before releasing his hold on the soldier's wrist. "Still…his pulse is strong, if a little bit fast. He'll be fine."

"What happened down there?" Bryce asked.

"Meh, something about a bear with blood-red fur," Whirlwind explained simply as he readjusted his hold on the casualty. "It seems to be attacking guards and explorers alike. It's a bit chaotic down there."

"A bear with blood-red fur?" Bryce murmured as he folded one arm across his chest, the hand of his other moving to hold his chin in a musing manner. "That certainly doesn't sound good."

"A cutter?" Varuna asked, trying his best to ignore the chill of fear that raced down his spine as he unwillingly remembered the bear that attacked during his first jaunt into the Lush Woodlands.

"These wounds are similar," Isiah murmured, still studying the soldier in question, his brow furrowing subtly. Obviously, he hadn't encountered those kind of wounds before. "And yet different."

"Need any help with that?" Bryce asked as he motioned to the soldier with a tilt of his head.

"Hm? Oh no, I've got him. Thanks for offering though," Whirlwind said in response, a much more obvious smile on his lips. "Hmm, I wonder if all explorers are as nice as you guys…"

"See you in town," Isiah said as he took a step back, allowing Whirlwind to readjust his hold on the soldier and move away.

"Take care," Whirlwind said in return before quickly making his way toward the entrance of the Lush Woodlands.

Bryce watched him until he was no longer in sight, his brow still creased into a concerned and troubled expression. He folded his arms over his chest and turned his full attention to the party. "What do you want to do?"

"Sounds like chaos down there," Blayden commented, chewing slightly on his bottom lip.

"Also sounds like a few injuries, too." Isiah then pushed his way through the group and immediately made his way over the stairs before promptly disappearing.

Well, that answered the question on what they should do next…

"We should follow," Varuna said. "Isiah is a medic, after all."

Roughly scratching the back of his head, not looking at all pleased, Bryce stared in the direction of the stairs before sighing. "Right."

* * *

**AN:** Well, of course I had to get that handsome hunk Whirlwind involved. Surprised?


	9. Chapter 9

**AN:** A big thanks to Terron145 and ACloudyForecast for reviewing the previous chapter!

* * *

Chapter 9:

Walking down the spiralling stair case, Varuna tried to estimate how deep they were travelling down. The stairs were long, spiralling straight down. It was hard for him to tell, but it felt to him that they were walking the same length as a three storied building.

Stepping from the stair case, it was actually rather surprising how little the light had dimmed despite them being a floor lower. Varuna glanced up at the ceiling, noting that they were indeed under a thick, impenetrable canopy that was high above. The trees were of the same height and Varity as the ones of the floor above. And they were growing as abundantly. Quite mysterious…

Turning his gaze away from the ceiling, Varuna glanced around at his surroundings wordlessly. The path from the stairs was quite narrow and winding, preventing him from seeing very far into the distance. And he also couldn't see Isiah anywhere in sight. He turned to Bryce, hoping that maybe he would have some idea on what they should do.

"Isiah must have ventured further," Bryce muttered, seemingly through gritted teeth. He then reached into his bag to pull out the map to study it, his brow furrowing with slight concern. "There's a short cut up ahead."

"Isiah must be following the trail of blood," Nitish quietly said.

Turning to look at his brother, Varuna found him glancing at the thick foliage, his eyes somewhat glassy and cloudy. Blayden was standing next to him, being both protective of him and finding some kind of comfort in his presence. Flicking his gaze toward what Nitish was looking at, Varuna winced. Although not overly obvious, there were indeed drops of blood staining the green grass.

"Maybe you should stay near the stairs, Nitish?" Varuna suggested. If he drew any closer to those who were in need of healing, he would experience their pain and suffering as well. Ten-fold if there was more than one.

"Y-yes, I think that would be best," Nitish replied, unable to stop the slight tremor in his voice.

"I'll protect Nitish, Varuna," Blayden immediately piped up. "So you can go ahead with Bryce."

"Are you-?" Varuna began to ask Nitish, but was interrupted by his brother who smiled softly at him.

"I'm safe here," he reassured. "You go on."

Choosing to believe his brother, Varuna nodded his head with acceptance. "Alright," he said as he turned toward Bryce. The brown-haired Landsknecht also looked reluctant to leave the two alone, but he also didn't want Isiah to be wondering around by himself. And he most certainly didn't want his little brother to witness a blood-bath.

"We won't be long," Bryce said.

Varuna stayed close to Bryce's side as they headed north up the path for a few steps. Reaching a bend in the path, Bryce suddenly stopped and pointed to a small gap in the foliage. It would have been easy to miss if one didn't know what they were looking for.

Stepping through the opening into an unknown room, Varuna was suddenly overwhelmed with the smell of blood. Looking around the small room that was cordoned off by two doors, he barely smothered a startled gasp at the sight of numerous Tharsis soldiers. Most of them seemed to be suffering greatly from numerous injuries, thick patches of blood seeping through stark white bandages.

There was a sense of frantic fear and concern radiating around the room. And yet there was no panic. Maybe it was because Isiah, in his stark white medic coat and medical bag, was barking orders and keeping everyone calm. It was of no surprise to Varuna to see Isiah right in the middle of the battered and bleeding bodies.

Varuna swallowed thickly in order to compose himself and unintentionally moved closer to Bryce as they move further into the room. There wasn't much they could do to help but ensure that no other native monsters of the Lush Woodlands decide that the make-shift triage area would to be a good place to attack.

"There are a few injured guards, isn't there?" Varuna commented to Bryce, the landsknecht carefully inspecting the area with his brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed.

"A blood-red bear…?" Bryce murmured as he placed his hand on a large stone door. "I really don't like the sound of that."

Varuna left Bryce to his mumbling, deducing that Bryce was probably worried for their safety, for his safety since he and his brothers were just researchers and this was their first outing.

"Wait," Bryce suddenly said as he became tense, his head snapping up in an alert manner. "Can you sense that?"

"Sense what?" Varuna asked.

"…Cutters," Bryce said as he removed his hand from the door, instantly reaching for his weapon. "There are several of them on this floor. I can hear them."

Now that he mentioned it, there was a thick feeling of tension hanging heavily in the air and a low rumbling, almost like thunder in the distance. Was that what Nitish was feeling earlier?

"I don't think we should wander too far on this level," Bryce went on to say as he moved away from the south facing door, eying it off critically. "I don't particularly want to encounter another one of those manic bears again. We can't afford to let a bear ambush us again."

With so many injured soldiers and guards, they would be easy prey. They needed to get out off of this floor and get the injured out as quickly as possible.

"Isiah," Varuna said as he hurriedly made his way over to the talented medic, trying not to convey his full concern as it would only alarm the others. "We should leave."

Isiah looked at him through one eye before sighing. He had obviously reached the same conclusion. "Yeah, it's too dangerous here. I've managed to stabilize the most critical and I've ordered this soldier's back to Tharsis. There's nothing more I can do here."

Knowing that there was nothing else _they_ could do to help, the three of them left the soldiers to organise themselves and hurriedly made their way back to the stairs. Sitting on the soft grass near the stairs was Nitish and Blayden, both blonds visibly pleased to see their brothers in one piece.

"Bryce!" Blayden jumped to his feet to greet them. "How are things?"

"Not good," Bryce answered honestly. "Come on, I'll explain on the way."

As they walked up the spiral stairs leading to the first floor, Isiah explained the situation the as bluntly and to the point as possible, as he always did. From what the soldiers managed to convey to him, between moaning in pain, was how they were ambushed by a giant bear whose fur seemed to be stained with blood.

It was unnerving to know that one bear was responsible to so many soldiers receiving injuries. They had better informed the Count with what they have learnt and forbid any rookie adventurers from exploring the second floor of the Lush Woodlands.

Re-emerging onto the first floor, the group was startled to hear a familiar voice calling to them. "Hey! There you guys are!"

Immediately gaining their attention, the group turned their attention in the direction of the voice. A moment later a familiar red-haired sniper appeared, appearing as if he had just traipsed around the first floor looking for them. It was Falkner, and behind him were the rest of the Phaedrons, Roxbury, Mahalah and Fletcher. They quickly made their way over to them, their concern giving away to reassurance as they grew closer.

"Good, you're all unharmed," Mahalah said, sighing with relief. It was clear to see that he had been carrying a sense of fear around with him for a short while.

"What's up?" Bryce asked, placing an idle hand on the hilt of his blade, somewhat surprised to see the rest of his guild.

"We had received word that there was trouble with a blood-red bear in the Lush Woodlands," Roxbury explained, indicating toward the stairs to the second floor with a tilt of his head. "We became worried when we couldn't find you on the first floor."

"Jeez, news spreads quick, doesn't it?" Bryce commented as he reached up to roughly scratch the back of his neck. He sighed and lowered his arm. "Sorry, but Isiah here wanted to check on the injured. Good thing, too."

"There are injured Tharsis soldiers everywhere down there," Varuna told them as he folded his arms over his torso, still able to smell the intense scent of blood in the back of his nose.

"They're in the process of evacuating, though," Isiah went on to explain as he glanced over his shoulder at the stairwell as well. He paused for a moment, listening. And when he heard the sound of voices and people shuffling about, he seemed to relax. "We should give them room to move."

"I'm afraid there is little we can do," Roxbury said as he began to lead the group through the winding pathways, intent of getting his guild out of any possible danger, as well as to give the soldiers' room to move. "If the soldiers of Tharsis are having difficulties, then we wouldn't stand a chance. Let's head back to Tharsis. It's getting late, anyway."

"Sounds good," Bryce said, pleased to see the orange and yellow sail of their airship, the Duscha.

During the trip back to Tharsis on the airship, a thought suddenly occurred to Varuna. Isiah seemed to know Whirlwind quite well. Varuna knew of the famous wanderer, but never really had much to do with him. Everyone knew of him, but no one really knew him. The conversation that was shared between the two, for some reason, made Varuna ponder how Isiah seemed to know him so well.

Well, better than any of the other locals did.

"Isiah," Varuna said as he approached the medic, who of which was going through his medical bag, doing an inventory. "How do you know Whirlwind?"

Isiah didn't even pause in what he was doing, even as Nitish wandered over, and he immediately lapsed into an explanation. "It was ten years ago. A few nights after the old man brought the two of you home."

Varuna was somewhat surprised to hear that. "Really?"

"He was found injured on the other side of town," Isiah continued, he explanation rather plain and to the point as usual. "Being the compassionate sod that he was, the old man brought him home as well. Whirlwind's injuries were severe, but not life-threatening. I'm not surprised you don't remember him. He left a few days afterwards, partly healed. Since then, I've seen him around, helping out the locals."

Varuna shared a glance with Nitish, find his brother looking softly confused, his brow furrowed as if he was trying to recall something.

"He…?" Nitish murmured.

"I don't think so," Isiah immediately cut him off, straightening up his tall frame and finally turning to look at the two of them. "Like I said, it was a few days afterwards. And on the other side of town. He knew the two of you were there and yet never asked for you. If he had known you, I'm sure he would have."

"You think so?" Varuna asked, feeling somewhat disappointed, noticing that his brother seemed to feel the same.

Isiah sighed before giving the two a very pointed look. "Now, what did the old man say to you?" he suddenly asked.

"The past is gone, the present it now," Varuna immediately replied, the words tumbling from his lips so familiar and potent. "Don't waste time thinking of things that we can no longer grasp."

"That's right," Isiah said as he lifted his hand and placed it on top of Varuna's hand, lightly ruffling his hair in a comforting manner. "Don't think too much about it. And just enjoy yourselves."

"Ok."

… … … … …

It had been two days since Varuna and his brothers entered the Lush Woodlands for the first time. They had made many discoveries that no one had even imagined. For nearly two days straight, with little sleep, Varuna and his brothers were busy with their research. Nitish had managed to create some new potions, which needed to be tested. Isiah had discovered new ways to heal injuries that offered less intrusive procedures. And Varuna, too, had found a few items that while useful, were dangerous when misused. He needed to write up a report on how to handle those items properly.

The Count was pleased that Varuna had taken his suggestion to heart and most certainly about the many discoveries that he and his brothers had found. However, his enthusiasm was tinged with worry. The fearsome Bloodbear, as they have dubbed it, was still causing much trouble. It was dangerous, more soldiers' having received potentially life-threatening injuries.

It was a tense time around Tharsis.

Everyone was feeling a bit irritable. Especially the explorers. Locals, too, were becoming bothered as they had to deal with restless adventurers. The ever polite and sophisticated Kirtida was feeling the effects of the lack of exploration the most. The owner of the dancing peacock had to deal with both agitated locals with urgent requests and impatient explorers wanting to get out there and explore.

The second floor to the Lush Woodlands was still relatively unknown, yet they weren't able to do any exploring. The Old Forest Mind was small and there was only so much that they could discover there. And it was incredibly hard to explore the first floor of the Lush Woodlands with nearly every other guild also adventuring. Too many rival guilds in one place were a recipe for disaster.

"They've been advising explorers to avoid the second level of the Lush Woodlands for now," Roxbury said as he leaned back in his seat, ignoring the other explorers that were milling about in the Dancing Peacock. "Until they can find a way to contain that Blood Bear."

Gathered around a table in the far corner of the Dancing Peacock, Varuna and Isiah were taking a small break from their study to sit with Guild Phaedron. Nitish was back at the clinic. He was never the one for loud noises or large crowds. So he was in the back garden, but he wasn't alone. Falkner, Fletcher and Blayden were hanging out at the clinic, Blayden taken a shine to Nitish and wanting to know more about his crafting skills.

It was good that he wasn't alone.

"So what do we do now?" Bryce asked, sounding as bored as he looked.

"You could check out a little grotto called Small Orchid," a familiar drawl suggested.

"Eh?" Bryce murmured as he turned in his seat to look behind him. The wrinkles in his brow lessened when he recognised the person strolling casually over to where they were gathered around a table. "Oh, hey, Whirlwind."

"Eavesdropping?" Isiah commented as Whirlwind stopped near them, the older explorer leaning to rest his hand on the back of Isiah's seat.

"Now, now," Whirlwind said as he grinned down at Isiah. "I was just passing by."

"Of course," Isiah replied dryly before pausing for a moment, studying Whirlwind carefully. "How's the soldier?"

"Recovering in the clinic," Whirlwind answered, his grin never wavering. "As you said, he's going to be fine."

"Small Orchid, hm?" Roxbury was heard murmuring, holding his chin as he mused to himself. "Wouldn't hurt to check it out. Hopefully they'll have sorted the Blood Bear problem soon."

Varuna barely smothered a yawn as he folded his arms on top of the table and then rested his chin on his arms. "We might be able to find some new items to study."

Bryce said something under his breath, almost snorting with sarcasm and mirth, something about never being satisfied. For whatever reason, maybe because he was feeling fatigued and irritable, Varuna pushed himself up onto his feet.

"What did you just say?!" Varuna bristled at the brown-haired landsknecht. How the gold knife ended up in his hand, pointed at Bryce was completely unknown to him. He looked at his hand, completely shocked.

"What are you gonna do with that?" Bryce asked him as he stood up as well, soundingly oddly defiant and undisturbed. "Stab me?"

An expression of pure shock appeared on Varuna's face, looking straight in Bryce's eyes. "I…"

Bryce, however, simply narrowed his eyes and made a 'come here' gesture with his hand. "Bring it."

Varuna stared at Bryce for a few moments longer, sensing absolutely no fear or distrust from him. It was almost as if he was trying to cause a rise out of him. He even appeared smug, as if pleased that he did get a reaction out of him. Whatever it was, Varuna found himself twitching. "Don't tempt me!"

Isiah snorted and leaned back in his chair as the other members of the Phaedrons looked on, seemingly amused. "If he curses you, I ain't removing it," Isiah said to Bryce.

Bryce immediately turned to him, a somewhat disgruntled expression on his face. "That's hardly fair."

"Life isn't fair," Isiah was quick to retort.

"Things have certainly gotten livelier, haven't they?" Roxbury commented while Mahalah, sitting next to him, simply laughed good-naturedly.

"It's good to see everyone getting along so well."

* * *

**AN:** The next chapter is going to be a loooooooooooong one, so look forward to it!


	10. Chapter 10

**AN:** Thanks very much Marcatissimo and ACloudyForecast for reviewing the previous chapter! This chapter took me a while to write – it's long, with some action! Let me know what you think!

* * *

Chapter 10:

Hidden behind a large stone pillar was a small, but opulently green grotto. According to the directions that Whirlwind had given, this cave was the Small Orchard he suggested that they investigate. It was surprisingly close the Lush Woodlands, yet secluded and hidden.

Still, with the Lush Woodlands now cordoned off, it was little surprise to see another airship, this one much smaller than the Duscha, parked nearby. Seemed like another guild had also learnt of this grotto and were eager to explore it before anyone else. A small guild, by the looks of it as there didn't seem to be anyone manning the airship, tethered rather precariously. Obviously rookies.

Proving how much of an amazing pilot that he was, Falkner was able to manoeuvre the Duscha to a safe distance from both the ground and fast flowing river that surrounded the entire grotto. Finally, he gave a holler when he felt it was safe for a group of them to disembark.

The rope ladder wouldn't be very useful as the airship was hovering mostly over the water and if he got any closer, there was the threat of accidentally getting entangled with something. They needed to use a boarding plank. Even then, the way the Duscha would rise and fall with the breeze, despite Falkner's best efforts to keep her steady, disembarking their airship was going to be a little shaky.

Bryce, however, had no trouble traversing the plank. He skidded down with little effort, wanting being the first to touch the ground just in case there was something menacing near-by, waiting in ambush. He took a moment to glance around, his brow furrowed and his eyes searching.

"Seems ok," Bryce said as he waved. "Come on down."

Varuna was the next to walk the plank, so to speak. He swiftly made his way down, jumping the last couple of feet to land on the ground next to where Bryce was standing, the brown-haired landsknecht looking somewhat impressed by his agility.

Varuna tried not to look smug as he turned his attention back to the Duscha, waiting for the rest of their party to also disembark.

Roxbury was helping Nitish navigate the plank, keeping him steady and safe with Nitish hanging onto Roxbury's arm quite tightly. Isiah had already made his own way down and was waiting at the end of the boarding plank, watching with a critical gaze. Nitish didn't seemed frightened, but he did appear nervous.

Thankfully, though, Roxbury was able to guide him down and didn't let him go until Nitish was on solid ground, the blond-haired Runemaster breathing a sigh of relief before blushing lightly and offering his thanks to the fortress. Roxbury simply smiled in return, not at all bothered or exasperated.

"We'll be back in a few hours," Dancer Mahalah said from the gondola of the Duscha. He had his arms folded as he leaned against the railing, looking down at them with a warm smile on his face as Fletcher and Blayden worked to pull the boarding plank back on board. "Take care."

"We'll be fine," Roxbury said as he turned and looked up at Mahalah. "See you soon."

"Hope you collect lots of items, Nitish," Blayden added as Falkner began to pilot the airship once more.

Nitish nodded his head, smiling softly before giving a small, gentle wave. "Un. I'll show them to you when we get back."

"Let's go," Roxbury said as he moved toward the entrance of the Small Orchard, taking the lead while Bryce moved in a close second. They wanted to be at the front line in case anything decided to attack.

Pushing past the fan shaped fans of the foliage; Varuna had to admit that it was a little surprising. This Small Orchard had vegetation similar to that of the Lush Woodlands. Large, corky barked trees, ferns and palm leaves, small yellow flowers lining the thick underbrush. It was also quite beautiful.

Of course, this was only just the entrance; he couldn't make any assumptions until they did some further investigation.

"…Hn…"

Varuna was pulled from his musings when he heard Nitish make a soft, distressing noise. He immediately turned his full attention to his brother, only to find him leaning forward, clutching at his chest. His eyes were wide and he appeared to be shaking.

"…Something's wrong…" he whispered so softly, breathlessly.

"Nitish!" Varuna said in surprise before immediately making his way to his brother's side, wrapping his arms around his slender frame. "What is it?"

"…Death. Rage. Fear," Nitish murmured as his hands moved from his chest to clutch at his head, his fingers slipping through his blond hair almost desperately. "It's everywhere."

Varuna felt his heart drop at his brother's words and subconsciously tightened his arms around him. Nitish was sensitive, but not emotional. Something must be terribly wrong for him to be reacting so intensely.

Noticing that Varuna and Nitish weren't following, Roxbury paused and turned around to look at them, a frown appearing on his lips. "What's wrong?" he asked, sounding concerned.

However, before Varuna could answer him, Isiah abruptly reached for his mace, holding it effortlessly in one hand. "…Definitely something," he murmured, seemingly sniffing the air.

"No kidding," Bryce said as he reached for his own weapon, looking agitated and wary, yet collected and defensive. He then indicated to the shrubbery in front of him with the jerk of his chin. "Look. Blood."

The word 'blood' instantly put everyone on edge and Isiah into medic mode. He flicked his eyes toward where Bryce had indicated to, his brow furrowing. He soon realised that the blood was in fact a blood trail.

So, they followed it. And the further they moved, the more they felt their fear and concern grow. Despite the pristine and lush foliage around them, the way the gentle breeze drifted through and beams of sunlight pierce through the thick canopy, the pathway before them was smeared with blood.

Slouched in the corner of a bend was a man dressed in the garbs of a Tharsis soldier. His armour and shield, however, were badly damaged and he was covered head to toe in blood. Despite the distance between them, it wasn't difficult to tell that he had numerous broken bones.

Immediately, Isiah pushed forward and hurriedly made his way to the soldier's side. Everyone else followed, wary that the one responsible for his injuries could still be within the area. Varuna didn't want to pull his brother closer to the casualty, but they couldn't afford to be separated from the others.

So he pulled him closer, pressing Nitish's face against his neck so that he wouldn't physically see the bloodied scene. He also moved closer to Bryce, who in turn took a protective stance in front of them. Varuna found a small sense of comfort with Bryce guarding them, but he knew that they were still in danger.

Isiah suddenly sighed and he pushed himself to his feet. "There's nothing I can do," he said. "It's too late."

Varuna winced. That poor soldier. What could have happened to him?

"What do you think happened?" Roxbury asked as he momentarily took his eyes off scanning their surroundings to case his gaze upon the dead soldier. He, however, furrowed his brow. "These look like hoof marks."

Before Isiah could offer some kind of answer, a monstrous cry erupted from deeper within the Small Orchard. It was so loud, so deafening and so guttural that it nearly made the trees around them quiver. The roar caused Nitish to tremble and the others to immediately pull their weapons and got themselves into defensive positions.

"Shit," Bryce murmured as he nervously stared out at their surroundings, his eyes darting back in forth. "Is that a Furyhorn?"

"Waaaaah!"

"That was a person?" Roxbury said, his body tensing and his tone of voice a mixture of disbelief and surprise.

"…There is a survivor," Varuna heard Nitish whisper shakily. "One left."

"There's someone trapped here!" Varuna reiterated to the others what Nitish had said.

Roxbury turned to look at everyone, appearing torn between wanting to ensure that his own teammates were safe, while also wanting to help whoever was in danger. Their situation was dangerous. Deadly. The beast that killed the soldier was still present. They, too, could easily become victims.

But…

Although still shaky, Nitish pulled his face from Varuna's neck and was trying to steady his breathing. "We have to continue," he said.

They couldn't turn their back on someone in desperate need. They all knew what needed to be done.

"Isiah, Varuna, Nitish, you three stay at the back," Roxbury ordered. "This sounds like a furyhorn is behind all this chaos. Things are going to be dangerous."

"Let's go," Bryce said firmly and with great determination as he flexed the muscles in his arm. "If whoever this survivor is has managed to live this long, then we better make sure they make it out alive."

With nothing they could do for the soldier, they were forced to leave him as they raced deeper into the maze. The further they moved, the louder the sounds of monstrous grunts and wails, accompanied by thunderous hooves. And as they approached a door, it seemed to rattle as if from fear. It was a clear indication that the monster they were looking for was on the other side.

And still rampaging.

Roxbury placed his hand on the door and hesitated for a moment. It was only a second, but it was enough for everyone to become very, very aware that on the other side of that door was an unknown danger.

They then pushed forward.

Throwing open the doors, they were surprised and very alarmed by the sight before them. It made them instantly stop, their breaths hitching in their throats, their eyes widen in complete fear and disbelief.

Once again, Varuna shielded his brother from the sight, closing his own eyes as he held onto Nitish tightly. He tried to swallow down his nausea and took deep breathes to control his racing heart.

…There were bodies everywhere. Blood smears. Broken pieces of armour.

It was a massacre.

Somehow finding the strength to push himself forward, Isiah staggered into the middle of the carnage, his usually taciturn and professional facade crumbling into an expression of utter disbelief. He looked around him, almost in a daze. "…They're all dead," he murmured.

"F-four of them," Roxbury counted, a lump seemingly lodging in his throat, and he skittishly looked around. "Where's the fifth one?"

"Nitish?" Varuna questioned gently, opening his eyes to look at his brother. He didn't want to cause his brother any further pain, but he would be able to locate the survivor by concentrating on the explorer's fear.

Turning away from Varuna slightly, Nitish had his eyes closed as he tried to centre himself. Still, Varuna could feel him shaking as he lifted his hand, pointing north easterly direction. Varuna immediately looked where he was being indicated, immediately noting that there was a small gap in the foliage where a pool of water was, revealing a glimpse of what was on the other side of the wall.

And what he saw was a deer like monster, the colour of purple and white bucking around in a highly irritated manner. He also managed to catch a glimpse of white, like that of a medical coat.

"Over there!" Varuna yelled to the others and pointed. "On the other side of the wall!"

Lifting his shield in a defensive manner, Roxbury dashed over toward the opening to have a look himself. He looked around edgily, wincing when the FOE pranced by, seemingly running around in circles searching. He, however, seemed to tense up a moment later.

"I see him," he said. "Seems like the furyhorn is after him."

When Isiah glanced over his shoulder, he suddenly became alarmed. "…It's Miach?"

"You know him?"

"He's a medic," Isiah replied before a deep frown creased his features. "What the hell is he doing here?"

"He's also in trouble," Bryce muttered as he began to look for a way to get into that room and do something. He checked the foliage in front of him, knowing that there was a chance of a short cut. "Come on…Ha! Found one!"

Without pause, Bryce pushed through the small opening, his shield and blade at the ready. Instantly, Roxbury and Isiah followed, as did Varuna, holding onto Nitish the entire time. Practically barrelling into the room they were greeted by a monstrous roar and the sight of its intended victim huddled in a small corner, his knees pulled up to his chest and his head in his hands.

He was a young man with purple hair and brown eyes. A medic by appearance. His medical coat was splattered with blood and torn in many different areas, but chances were it wasn't his blood, but those of his guildmates. He seemed to have lost his weapon sometime earlier in the struggle, his medical bag nowhere to be seen.

He was completely alone and vulnerable.

"Miach!" Isiah called out.

"H-help!"

The furyhorn suddenly gave another deep, guttural roar before stomping its powerful hooves into the ground in a threatening manner. Then, it charged forward. It wasn't heading for them, though. No, it was heading for the medic, Miach.

A look of utter fear appeared on Miach's face, turning to watch in a dazed state as the furyhorn drew closer and closer.

Suddenly, Roxbury was in front of him, his face set in determination as he lifted his shield in a defensive manner. The sound of the furyhorn's antlers colliding with Roxbury's shield was so loud that it caused Varuna and the others to physically wince. How Roxbury was able to stand against such a powerful blow was truly miraculous.

"Hey!" Isiah called out to Roxbury. "What-?"

"I'm fine!" Roxbury shouted back, interrupting Isiah. He had a grimace on his face, his jaw clenched tightly as he tried to prevent the furyhorn from pushing against him. "Get him to safety!"

Without a second thought, Isiah was the one to push himself forward and into danger.

"Come on, kiddo," Isiah said as he practically scooped Miach off the ground, placing him under his arm and then carrying him off, the younger medic stunned and unmoving the entire time. "Let's go."

As Isiah ducked to the back of the group, Bryce moved to stand at the forefront, his sword held out in front of him in an offensive manner. He back and arms were tense, as if waiting for the furyhorn to turn its attention to them now that Miach, the one it seemed to want the most, was with them. Varuna decided to follow suit, removing his hold on Nitish to push him behind him. He reached into his cloak to pull out his daggers.

If he could paralyse it, it might give them enough time to get away.

However, the furyhorn continued to grunt and snort against Roxbury's shield, digging its hooves into the ground. The pressure it was exerting against the shield was causing the brown-haired fortress to unwillingly fall back, his body trembling as he strained to keep his shield as a barrier between him and death.

"Roxbury!" Bryce called out.

"…Shit," Roxbury murmured as he dropped his hold on his mace so that he could use both hands to push against his shield. Sweat began to bead across his brow and it was evident that he won't be able to hold out for much longer…

"We have to get him out of there!" Varuna said, his panic and concern rising. There was no way they could let Roxbury die. Not here. Not now. He would never be able to live with himself if Roxbury…

"Fireball Rune!"

Before anyone could react, the air around of them suddenly grew intensely hot. Then, seemingly out of thin air, a ball of burning fire appeared and shot off toward the enraged furyhorn, striking it firmly in the side.

The force of the fireball caused the furyhorn to flail onto its side. With its legs thrashing about, it managed to scramble back onto its feet, lurching away from Roxbury and leaping backwards. It staggered on its feet as it shook its head desperately. The smell of burnt fur filled the area, overwhelming the scent of blood.

Varuna blinked, not entirely sure what had just happened and whipped around to face Nitish, his brother standing tall and his hands held against his chest, folded together in a prayer-like manner.

"Nitish?" Varuna questioned. Did he just use his fire magic offensively?

"Get him away," Nitish said simply.

Pulling himself from his shock, Bryce shook his head before becoming very serious. "Right," he muttered as he tightened his grip on his weapon. He then rushed forward, wasting absolutely not time making his way over to Roxbury, hauling the stunned fortress to his feet by his arm and then looped an arm around his waist to drag him away from the still very dangerous furyhorn.

Immediately, Varuna and Nitish reached out to Roxbury as they pulled back into the group, he falling against them as he momentarily gave into his fatigue. He thankfully wasn't injured. His shield managed to do what it was meant to do – it protected him and kept him alive.

"Are you all right?" Bryce asked as he let go of Roxbury, turning so that he was facing the FOE once again.

"Yes, I'm fine," Roxbury answered. He sounded slightly breathless, but his relief was quite palpable. As was everyone else's.

"Whatever you did, Nitish, it certainly didn't like that," Bryce said, becoming tense once more. "Think you can do it again?"

"Yes," Nitish said as he lifted a hand a few inches in front of his face, curling his pinkie and ring finger toward his palm, holding them there with his thumb, while keeping his middle and index upright. "It is weak to fire."

"Right," Roxbury said after he managed to regain his breath. He squared his shoulders as he gripped his shield tightly, his expression giving the strong indication of that of a leader. "Here's the plan. Nitish, continue to unnerve it with your fire magic, Bryce and Varuna, I need you two to work together to take it out. We can't let this thing continue to cause havoc."

Varuna nodded his head and adjusted his grip on his knives. "I should be able to paralyse it."

Bryce slashed his sword in front of him, once again flexing his muscles. "And I'll keep it busy."

Roxbury glanced over his shoulder as he positioned himself in front of Nitish. "Isiah, take care of the kid. I'll make sure Nitish stays protected."

From where he was crouched on the ground, next to a still stunned and dazed Miach, Isiah nodded his head in acceptance. "Sure."

"Nitish, hang onto me," Roxbury ordered as he lifted his shield, positioning it so that should anything happen, he would be able to protect them both. But as he did so, he unintentionally revealed how powerful and dangerous the FOE was. Dints and scrapes littered the once shiny armour.

Yet, while it was heavily damaged, it was still in working order. It should be able to hold out for a little bit longer. And Nitish seemed to trust both it and Roxbury.

"Yes," Nitish said as he moved closer to Roxbury, placing a hand on his back while using his other hand to manipulate the fire magic that he wielded.

"Let's go, Varuna," Bryce said.

Knowing that his brothers would be safe, Varuna focused solely on the task at hand. He wasn't going to let another FOE hurt anyone in front of him ever again. "Right."

With Bryce by his side, Varuna pushed himself forward. This was a battle they couldn't lose. It was too dangerous. Too many have already died. There was no way Varuna was going to let anyone else die. Not in front of him. Not in front of anyone.

Don't think. Just act. Take out the threat.

Working together with Bryce, falling back to allow Bryce to take a strike before pushing forward to attack the furyhorn from another angle, Varuna quickly fell into the oddly familiar mechanics of battle.

Dodge, attack, defend. Avoid its baffling step. Avoid its front hooves. Avoid its antlers. Don't panic. Think. The furyhorn relied on its front legs. They were powerful and deadly.

…It gave him an idea.

"Bryce!" Varuna called out. "I need you to distract it!"

"Don't go doing anything stupid!" Bryce shouted back. He, however, darted in front of the FOE, immediately gaining its attention.

With the Furyhorn distracted, Varuna dashed forward the very moment it reeled onto its back legs, its front legs thrashing about in a viciously. Perfect. Just as he wanted.

Just as the furyhorn was about to come crashing down on top of him with its front hooves, Varuna ducked down, slipping easily over the grass and slid beneath the FOE. While it was the front legs that were going to be the most dangerous, it was its back legs that Varuna was after. Won't be able to get very far on its front legs alone.

Not wasting a valuable second, Varuna whipped out his knives and embedded one in each leg, deep enough to cause immediate pain before the muscles spasm from the paralysing toxin of his blades.

Leaving the knives where they were, Varuna rolled out from underneath the furyhorn as its back legs abruptly gave out. He slipped across the grass once more before pushing himself to his feet with his arms. He watched as the furyhorn made a sound of distress, its head thrashing about as its back legs proved useless.

Good.

"I took out its back legs!" Varuna yelled over to Bryce.

"Good job!" Bryce called back as he raced forward, going for the head. "Nitish, give us a hand! Blazing Link!"

Wrapping his cloak around himself, Varuna ducked off to the side as flames erupted from both Bryce's sword and from thin air as Nitish called forth another fire spell. The flames from Bryce's blade grew in ferocity as Bryce lifted it over his head. The muscles in his arms and back became taut as he brought down his sword, embedding it into the furyhorn's neck.

"Take that, you bastard!" he growled as he added more pressure to his attack.

The furyhorn stiffened, its head turned at an unnatural angle. Then it admitted a sound, a gurgling, as if blood was beginning to pool in its throat. Suddenly, it became limp and blood poured from its snout and mouth.

Bryce took a slow step backwards as the tension in his back disappeared. Pulling back his sword, everyone watched with baited breath as the FOE flopped bonelessly to the ground, the pool of blood growing around it.

"I think it's dead," Bryce murmured as he continued to back away, not yet willing to turn his back to it.

"If not, then it's seriously incapacitated," Varuna commented.

"It's not a threat for the time being," Roxbury said as he slowly lowered his guard. "Let's move back toward the entrance."

Not wanting to linger around in all this carnage for any longer than they had too, the group quickly gathered themselves and made a beeline to the entrance. Isiah had Miach by the arm and was quite literally dragging him. Nitish stayed close to Roxbury while Varuna and Bryce walked side by side. And at the back. Because, you know, just in case the furyhorn was still alive.

Stepping from the subdued lighting of the Small Orchard and into the midday light, it took them a moment to get used to the glare of the sun before they ventured toward the river shore. There was nowhere else for them to go, nothing for them to do but wait.

"You're safe now," Roxbury said to Miach, who was sitting on a rock, still looking rather dazed and bewildered. Perhaps what had happened hadn't sunk in yet? "Now tell us, what happened?"

"I don't really know," Miach said, his voice spacy and somewhat childish. He tilted his head to the side as he tapped his cheek with his finger. "We were just looking for some Shea Fruit. I…must have wandered off. I remember seeing the furyfawns, but then I saw some fruit. Looked tasty. Hmm…"

Roxbury was shocked by how spacy Miach appeared to be. He was quite literally staring off into space. Concerned, he turned to Isiah. "…Did he receive a head injury?" he asked.

"There's nothing wrong with him," Isiah answered as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "He's just a bit of an airhead."

"I see…" Roxbury murmured, not entirely sure on how to respond to that. After a moment he coughed into his hand and turned to his party. "Any ideas?"

"The Furyhorn was enraged," Nitish answered, looking somewhat pale and tired. "Perhaps something happened to the furyfawns?"

"Furyfawns, huh?" Bryce muttered under his breath as he held his chin in thought. "Baby furyhorns, maybe?"

Roxbury folded his arms over his chest, he, too, deep in thought. "Hm," he hummed for a moment before turning his attention back to Miach. "We can only deduce that your guild fought with the furyfawns, only to incur the wrath of the mother, a furyhorn."

Miach turned his brown eyes toward Roxbury, a heartbreaking look of realisation appearing on his face. "My guild…is gone, right?" he asked softly.

"I'm afraid so," Roxbury answered, his voice gentle with sincere sympathy.

At first, Miach didn't react. Slowly, though, his face creased into an expression of pure sadness. Thick tears rolled from his eyes and over his cheeks. His hands flew up to his face and he started sobbing. When Isiah placed a hand on his shoulder, Miach turned toward him and grasped onto him, pressing his face into his stomach as he continued to cry.

"Sorry, kiddo," Isiah murmured as he rubbed his shoulders with his hand, trying to offer a sense of comfort.

With nothing they could possibly do to ease Miach's pain, Varuna and the others stood back and simply allowed Isiah to offer his fellow medic some support. Unable to stand the heart wrenching sight of an explorer mourning the deaths of his guild, Varuna looked away and grasped his left arm with his right hand. He felt awkward and relatively useless. He also felt a strong sense of despair.

These rookie guilds racing into the unknown, killing everything they come across…It was just so reckless!

"It's sad, isn't it?" Bryce said to Varuna, pulling him from his musings.

Varuna lifted his head to look at Bryce, finding the landsknecht standing right next to him, their shoulders nearly touching. It was comforting, in a way. "It is," he said. "I wonder what he'll do now."

"We'll have to tell the guards," Bryce went on to say. "They'll arrange to have his teammates brought back to Tharsis. Not to mention that soldier as well."

"Yeah."

Bryce suddenly reached over and wrapped an arm around Varuna's shoulders, pulling him against his side. Although greatly startled, Varuna made no attempt to push him away. Instead he looked up at him, surprise on his face. "Wha-?"

"There was nothing more we could have done," Bryce said to him, his tone resolute and firm.

Varuna continued to look at Bryce, still startled, but slowly he began to relax, even going as far as leaning against him. "I know," he sighed as he turned to look toward Miach again. "If we were any earlier we could have been taken out as well. At least we know now. Leave the furyfawns alone and the mother won't attack."

"That's definitely something other explorers need to know," Bryce said, keeping his arm around Varuna's shoulders. "Researchers are really important, you know."

Despite himself, Varuna felt a small smile appear on his lips. "…I guess so."

The sudden sound of an airship approaching pulled everyone out of their thoughts. Looking up, it was intensely relieving to see the yellow and orange sail of the Duscha.

"It's the others," Bryce said. "Let's go home."

"Yeah."

* * *

**AN:** God _damn_, this was a long chapter to write! Hoped you enjoyed reading!


	11. Chapter 11

**AN:** Thanks so much Marcatissimo, Terron145 and ACloudyForecast for reviewing the previous chapter!

Sorry for the lack of update last week, the reason being that I was suffering from terrible migraines for some reason. Anyway, hope you'll enjoy reading nonetheless!

* * *

Chapter 11:

It was nearing midnight when Isiah finally allowed Miach to leave the clinic. After the traumatic event he had experienced, Isiah wasn't willing to leave him alone. Little surprise, really. Losing four guild-mates in such a tragic way and in such a short amount of time…

Shaking his head, willing himself not to entertain such dark thoughts, Varuna glanced out the window. Standing at the bottom of the stairs was Isiah, Roxbury and Mahalah, the three of them to see Miach off. The younger medic had been cleaned up and they managed to get some food into him. However, he looked so lost and bewildered it was almost heartbreaking.

"You need to take it easy for the next few days," Isiah was heard saying, lifting his hand to ruffle Miach's purple hair.

Miach nodded his head once, his arms hanging limply by his sides. "Ok," he murmured.

"What are you going to do now?" Roxbury asked, his concern for the obviously younger explorer was palpable.

"I'm not sure," Miach replied, looking up at Roxbury after Isiah removed his hand from his hair. "Head back to the inn, I suppose."

Then, after a murmur of a goodbye, Miach turned and started to slowly walk away, heading off into the darkness. However…

"Um…the inn is in the other direction," Mahalah stated, sounding slightly embarrassed for him.

"Huh?!" Miach squawked as he spun around, giving the three an expression of utter surprise. "Really?"

Isiah sighed as Roxbury and Mahalah shared a look of concern. They seemed to share a silent conversation; the topic was on Miach himself, no doubt. Roxbury then turned to Isiah, as if wanting to get some sort of confirmation from.

"I told you he was an airhead," Isiah said before shrugging. "It's your guild."

Varuna soon realised what they were contemplating and was unable to stop a small smile from spreading across his lips. They really couldn't let this, ah, spacy medic become an explorer on his own. Someone needed to watch over him.

Roxbury sighed before a half-smile appeared on his lips and he turned his attention back to Miach, whom of which was still glancing around in a spacy manner. "Miach, would you like to join our guild?" he asked.

"R-really?"

… … … … …

Varuna was busy rearranging the thick reference books of the library. It had been three days since the tragic incident in the Small Orchard. It had been cordoned off from other explorers, just until the retrieval of those who had perished. But thanks to the report that Nitish and Isiah worked on, other explorers now knew the dangers of the Small Orchard and had been warned that the furyhorns used the Small Orchard as a nursery.

And to attack the furyfawns at their own peril.

The Small Orchard had been re-opened to the public, as it were. But the second floor of the Lush Woodlands was still off-limits. That Blood Bear was still causing trouble, it seemed. The Count was especially worried.

"We're back!"

Varuna glanced up from his work in time to see the Phaedron's black-haired sniper rush inside in his usual excited manner. And not far behind him was the rest of his guild, entering the clinic at a more leisurely pace.

"Welcome back," Varuna greeted and set aside his books.

"We've got some items," Fletcher said and indicated to the bag slung across his back.

"Ah, that's good," Varuna said as he smiled. "Nitish will be pleased."

Fletcher smiled before moving further into the clinic. "Hey, Nitish!" he called out, looking for the blond-haired Runemaster.

Varuna had to chuckle to himself as Nitish descended the stairs, only to be swamped by the younger members of Guild Phaedrons, who were eager to show him the items they had gathered. They were both really fond of him and interested in what kind of items could be found and what their uses were.

"Busy working I see," Mahalah commented as he folded his arms across his torso, smiling as he turned his attention to Isiah, who had just stepped out of his office, looking haggard and somewhat annoyed.

Isiah massaged his right shoulder with his left hand. "Baboons seem to be feistier than usual," he muttered.

"From Old Forest Mind?" Roxbury questioned, sounding a little surprised.

"Yeah," Isiah replied before waving a hand dismissively and then indicated toward the couch. "Well, at least I'm able to give Miach some hands on experience."

Sprawled out on his back on the couch, Miach looked drained and utterly bewildered. "I'm so tired…" he murmured, indeed sounding very exhausted.

Varuna couldn't help but smile, Miach was settling in well, which was no surprise since Isiah had taken him under his wing, to teach him more about what it took to be a medic and what skills were the most useful. However, airy Miach wasn't exactly used to Isiah's intensity.

After shrugging of his shield and weapon, Bryce plonked himself down onto the other couch. Leaning into his seat, he slung an arm over the back and glanced in the direction of the kitchen, where Nitish was sorting through the gathered items.

"So what did we get?" he asked.

Nitish picked up a piece of fruit, green in colour and about the size of one hand. He tilted his head to the side as he studied it before a look of realisation appeared on his face. "Ah, Shea Fruit."

"Huh? Isn't that a beauty product?" Bryce unexpected asked, his brow furrowed.

"There's more to it than that," Varuna scoffed, placing one hand on his hip as he turned his attention to Bryce. "It can help with rashes, burns and can rejuvenate skin cells. Don't brush it off because of its beauty reputation."

Bryce, however, didn't look all that impressed. He even went as far as mockingly caressing the side of his face. "Will it give me soft, glowing skin?"

"Weren't you listening to what I just said?" Varuna said, bristling visibly. He calmed down a moment later and folded his arms over his chest as he gave Bryce a pointed look. "Besides, you're talking about the butter which the fruit can make."

Taking a hold of one of the green fruit, Blayden looked at it before asking, "Can I eat it?"

"Of course you can," Varuna answered as Nitish removed the fruit from Blayden's hold and place it on a chopping board. "It's perfectly healthy. It's packed full of vitamins."

Cutting the fruit in half, Nitish handed one piece to Blayden. "Here."

Without any hesitation, Blayden took a large bite of the fruit. "Hmm…" he hummed as he gave a couple of quick chews.

"Well?" Fletcher asked, looking at him with a sense of anticipation.

"Not bad. Tastes like a fig," Blayden said before abruptly shoving the rest of the fruit into Fletcher's mouth, startling the sniper. "You try it."

"Don't eat all of it," Mahalah chuckled as he entered the kitchen as well. "I'm sure Nitish would like to make something with them. What else did we manage to find from the Small Orchard? "

Picking a piece of bark covered in red resin, Nitish held it carefully in his hands as he presented it. "This. It is known as Dragon's Blood."

Blayden immediately perked up. "Dragon's Blood?"

"Don't get too excited," Varuna said as his loosened his arms from being folded over his chest. "It's not really from a dragon. It's resin from a plant."

"Oh, is that all?" Blayden practically whined.

"And?"

Varuna blinked before turning his attention back to Bryce, who was still sitting comfortably on the couch. "And what?" he asked.

Bryce arched an eyebrow at him. "You're not going to go into a spiel about its many wonderful benefits?"

Varuna opened his mouth to reply, but quickly snapped it shut. He couldn't really make a reply to that…

Bryce continued to look at him with his eyebrow raised. However, a smug look of amusement soon appeared on his face. "…You don't know what its benefits are, do you?" he smirked.

Again, Varuna found himself bristling. "Stop smirking! I don't know everything, ok?"

"This is great," Bryce said, his smirk taking on an even more amused state. "The first time you don't know anything. I'm gonna savour this."

Varuna blushed darkly. "Oh, shut up," he murmured as he turned his back to him, intent on ignoring him.

"Can I eat this?" Blayden asked once again.

"No, I wouldn't recommend it," Varuna was quick to discourage. Eating unprocessed plant resin could be very harmful.

"It's good for lowering fevers and easing stomach upsets," Nitish explained as he continued to sort through the bag of gathered items.

Blayden looked up at him. "So I _can_ eat this?"

"Only after some modifications," Nitish said as he quickly removed the resin from Blayden's grip.

Still, his eyes sparkled with amusement. It was good to see.

"Sorry for crashing at your place like this," Roxbury said, although seemingly amused by his guild's antics, he was also somewhat apologetic.

"Forget it," Isiah replied, once again waving a hand dismissively. He wasn't even remotely bothered by the amount of people milling about inside the clinic. "So long as you don't trample the backyard. That would upset Nitish."

Upset Nitish and piss off both Varuna and Isiah, no doubt.

Roxbury smiled in gratitude. "I'm sure everyone will be cautious," he promised.

Isiah suddenly folded his arms over his chest and peered at Roxbury through one visible eye. "Besides, it will be easier to discuss upcoming missions here in private."

Roxbury was momentarily stunned by Isiah, before his face creased into an expression of guilt and reluctance. "…You've figured it out, then?"

"I'm very observant," Isiah said. "Besides, I'm a researcher for the count. I know how worried he is about that Blood Bear."

Isiah then made a motion with his hand, indicating to Roxbury that the floor was his, so to speak. That he really was free to use the clinic to hold important meetings. Roxbury gave him a half smile before clapping his hands a couple of times in order to gain everyone's attention.

"Everyone, listen up," he said and the room instantly became quiet. Seeing that everyone was focused on him, he continued. "It seems that they're still having trouble with that Blood Bear at the Lush Woodlands."

Moving to stand by Roxbury's side as second in command, Mahalah added more information. "And the count has asked us to be the ones to investigate and annihilate this monster if necessary."

A thick silence fell over the room, everyone quickly realising the implication of those words.

"Do you think we can?" Bryce asked.

Roxbury sighed before answering. "In all honesty, I'm not sure," he said, choosing to be truthful, which was really the best thing for him to do. "There's no doubt that this red-furred bear will be much stronger than the ones we know of."

Blayden instantly looked uneasy, his cheerful expressing fading. "It's not going to be easy," he murmured.

"It's the reputation we might get afterwards that is also worrisome," Mahalah sighed.

Knowing that since he was just a researcher, and not officially a part of the Phaedron's guild, Varuna excused himself and made his way into the kitchen to be with his brother. He was feeling worried, though. And he was certain that Nitish could feel everyone's apprehension. Dealing with cutters and furyhorns were dangerous enough, and they were monsters that were relatively known. This Blood Bear, on the other hand…

"Tomorrow morning, we'll fight."

…So, a restless night, huh?

… … … … …

There was a very obvious tension hanging in the air. Five members of Guild Phaedron had set off that very morning, wielding their strongest weapons and sturdiest armour. They had promised to be back by evening, but…

Varuna couldn't help but feel as if he should be there to offer some assistance. But he was quick to argue with himself that there was little he or his brothers could do. They were just researchers, not explorers or fighters. Ok, so Varuna had participated in two battles, but that was it. That was all the experience he had. Besides, the Count relied on them for their observations and reports. They really couldn't afford to get involved in dangerous battles.

Still, he felt apprehensive. Who wouldn't? Running headlong into a battle with an unknown enemy was reckless. A bit of observation would be best. Find out the bear's patterns and learn how it reacted to certain situations.

Turning his attention to the black-haired sniper that was sprawled out on the couch in an unnervingly and uncharacteristic sullen manner was Fletcher, the youngest member of the guild and the one Roxbury felt needed to stay behind. And Miach couldn't really participate, after what he had experience. Besides, he was also a rookie. As a silent agreement amongst explorers, at least one person needed to stay in town…just in case the others didn't return.

What a lonely state of mind to be in.

"How are you doing?" Varuna asked as he took a seat on the couch next to him, making no attempt to block his view of the front door.

"Not too good," Fletcher murmured, his honesty silently heartbreaking.

"Going without a medic is a little reckless," Isiah was heard murmuring, sounding and looking obviously agitated. The wait and unknowing was even getting to him.

"I don't really like fighting, though," Miach said as he dutifully followed Isiah around, carrying a box of folders and files in his arms.

"I gave them plenty of Medicas," Nitish reassured as he walked over to where Varuna and Fletcher were sitting. "They should be fine."

Again, Fletcher sighed sullenly. "I don't like being left behind…"

An expression of pain fleetingly appeared on Nitish's face, no doubt reacting from the sniper's fear and uncertainty. He shook his head as if to clear it before moving to stand before Fletcher, folding his hands in front of him and leaning forward. "…Would you like to help me with the crafting of potions?" he asked.

Fletcher finally lifted his head to look at Nitish. "Sure," he murmured as he allowed Nitish to tug him off the couch and toward the kitchen. It was fairly obvious what Nitish was trying to do. He was trying to entertain Fletcher, preoccupy him so that his mind won't wander to dark and fearful thoughts. And Fletcher looked somewhat grateful for the distraction.

So Varuna and Isiah followed suit, doing their best to keep themselves busy.

It was several hours later when the sound of the front door opening cut through the dense and thick tension hanging in the air. Fletcher immediately perked up and spun around to face the front door. And he wasn't the only one.

Even Varuna found himself waiting with baited breath and sighing with relief when five familiar figures step inside. The appeared weary and covered with grazes, their armours dinted and torn in multiple places, but there was five of them, all walking under their own strength. They were alive.

"You guys are back!" Fletcher said as he practically jumped over furniture in order to get to his brother, rushing him and hugging him around the waist.

Falkner winced at the touch, but he gave a lopsided smile nonetheless and returned the hug. "Yeah," he muttered tiredly, patting his brother on the head.

"What happened?" Isiah questioned as he immediately began to inspect their injuries. His brow was furrowed and he did not look at all pleased. He soon began barking orders, telling the five warriors to sit down and not to put any more pressure on their battered and weary bodies.

Varuna and Nitish stopped what they were doing to offer some assistance as well. Varuna made his way to Bryce, who was clutching at his side. He took his arm, slung it over his shoulders and helped him to limp over to the couch. Although Bryce didn't say much and seemed to try to refrain from revealing his pain, the way he was leaning against Varuna showed how tired he really was.

It was rather worrying…

"We've defeated the Blood Bear," Roxbury said as he dropped down onto the couch, giving his thanks to Nitish who had helped him while unsuccessfully hiding a wince. "But that thing was the least of our problems."

"There's something else on the third floor," Mahalah continued, limping over to sit next to Roxbury. "Something far more dangerous."

…So, that meant they weren't finished with their mission, huh?

* * *

**AN:** Please comment. The support is greatly appreciated!


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